BREAKING! LPC Approves Historic Designation for Domino

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dominorefinery0807b.jpgJust moments ago, the Landmarks Preservation Commission unanimously voted to designate the Domino Sugar refinery building as a New York City Landmark, ending once and for all months of speculation about the historic manufacturing building’s fate. Although the site’s owner had in recent months come around to the idea of preserving the exterior of the refinery (which actually includes three buildings, the filter house, the pan house and the finishing house), today’s vote adds a nice layer of legal comfort to the development plan, which is still in the planning stages. One member of the commission said it was regrettable that the Domino’s iconic sign was not included in the designation but said she hoped it could be saved “through the powers of persuasion.” LPC Chair Robert Tierney said the factory “celebrates a time when industrial Brooklyn was king and Domino was its crown” and that the landmark designation “underscores LPC’s commitment to preserving industrial Brooklyn.” Update: On the jump, Michael Lappin, CEO of CPC Resources, provides the developer’s perspective on today’s news. Notice the preemptive strike at any attempt in the future to add any additional structures on the Domino site to the designation.
On LPC’s Plate Tomorrow… [Brownstoner] GMAP
CPC Shows and Tells Its Plans for Domino [Brownstoner]
Plans for ‘New Domino’ Released by City Planning [Brownstoner]
Domino photo by krad
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

STATEMENT BY MICHAEL LAPPIN
PRESIDENT & CEO, COMMUNITY PRESERVATION CORPORATION /
CPC RESOURCES, INC.

New York, September 25, 2007 — CPC Resources applauds today’s action by the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission to designate the former Domino Sugar refinery structure as an official landmark. This is an important first step toward the creation of a new waterfront development that is tied into the existing Williamsburg community. The New Domino reflects the true legacy of New York, providing a home where people of diverse economic and cultural backgrounds can live together and form welcoming, enduring communities.

While today’s designation will add significant cost to our development budget, we believe it also affirms the important balance between the new and the old. We plan on achieving this balance, the preservation of generous open space, and the community’s consistently articulated need for affordable housing – an objective that reflects CPC’s mission – all within the height guidelines of the Williamsburg-Greenpoint rezoning of 2005. In fact, the design we have proposed, which comprises 2,200 units including two 30-story towers and two 40-story towers, is what allows the entire project to be economically viable given the additional cost of the preservation.

We also agree with the Commission’s overall finding that the refinery complex alone represents the site’s historical significance. We look forward to transforming a site that has been walled off for a hundred years into a showpiece of affordable housing and park-like waterfront access for all.

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