landmarks-bill-intro-775

A highly controversial bill that would regulate the Landmarks Preservation Commission, Intro 775, did not come to a vote Wednesday as expected but rather was “held over in committee,” the City Council website reveals. But the hearing was epic: It went on for six hours and was mobbed, mostly by opponents of the bill.

Opponents said the legislation would “strip the LPC of power to preserve our city’s landmarks,” in the words of one such opponent, preservation nonprofit Landmarks West, in an email Thursday. The LPC itself came out against the legislation during the hearing — an unexpected development.

About 10 people testified in favor of the bill, according to Curbed. Supporters said the legislation would strengthen the landmarking process and vowed to incorporate suggestions from LPC Chair Meenakshi Srinivasan in the bill.

The legislation would limit how long the LPC can take to review and designate proposed landmarks, as Brownstoner has reported. The City Council also considered other Landmarks-related legislation Wednesday, which would require Landmarks to publish an online database of sites that are landmarked or under consideration.

Both bills will probably be altered before they come up for a vote in the land use subcommittee, its chair, Councilman David Greenfield, told Curbed.

LPC Comes Out Against Controversial Bill to Eliminate Backlog [Curbed]
Intro. 775 Bill [City Council]
Preservationists Say Landmarks Bill Would Let Building Owners Game the System [Brownstoner]
LPC Backlog Coverage [Brownstoner]
Clockwise from top left: photo by PropertyShark, Jim Henderson for Wikipedia, Suzanne Spellen, Green-Wood Cemetery, Wally Gobetz via Wikepedia Commons


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