Landmarks Will Not Dump Proposed Sites En Masse Tuesday After All
The Landmarks Preservation Commission will not meet behind closed doors on Tuesday, December 9 to chop 96 proposed historic sites and districts from its calendar en masse without individual public hearings after all, The New York Times reported. The move came after strong condemnation from local politicians and preservation groups, including Landmark West and the Historic Districts Council….
The Landmarks Preservation Commission will not meet behind closed doors on Tuesday, December 9 to chop 96 proposed historic sites and districts from its calendar en masse without individual public hearings after all, The New York Times reported. The move came after strong condemnation from local politicians and preservation groups, including Landmark West and the Historic Districts Council.
“Preservationists were relieved” to hear of the decision, said the Times. “This is the rare case of a public agency listening to the public,” the paper quoted the executive director of the Historic Districts Council as saying.
The seven sites that would have been affected in Brooklyn included the Lady Moody-Van Sicklen House in Gravesend, Green-Wood Cemetery (pictured above), St. Barbara’s Roman Catholic Church in Bushwick, and the Forman Building in Williamsburg. By “decalendaring” the sites, the LPC could imperil them because the Department of Buildings would no longer notify the LPC of proposed alterations or demolition, giving the LPC time to act to designate them as landmarks.
Nonetheless, Landmarks Chairwoman Meenakshi Srinivasan left the door open for a later mass purge — with time for public comment. “In withdrawing the proposal, she said she wanted to provide more time for people to speak up for certain properties while making clear all would be dealt with sooner rather than later,” said the Times.
“We remain committed to making the Landmarks Commission more effective and responsive in its work, and clearing a backlog of items,” she said in a statement quoted by the paper.
Landmarks Panel Drops Proposal to Trim List [NY Times]
Breaking: Landmarks to “Decalendar” Hundreds of Proposed Historic Sites? [Brownstoner]
Brooklyn Sites the LPC Has Targeted to Dump [Brownstoner]
Well of course there’s a question! Just think how many condos could be built in on the site of Green-Wood! I bet you could even fit in a strip mall for local shopping! Naturally, it wouldn’t be cost-effective to just empty the mausoleums and build condos inside them; they’re too small. But moving all the remains elsewhere and bulldozing whatever is left on the site (trees, buildings, monuments, etc.) would free up space for thousands of condos….and provide zillions of construction jobs, and even some “affordable” apartments! Developers must be salivating at the thought, courtesy of an LPC apparently more interested in REBNY’s agenda than its own ostensible mission to preserve architectural history. So what’s not to like?? (I kid, I kid….)