Council finds no support for discrimination allegation. The full Council approved Landmark’s designation of the Fieldston Historic District in the Bronx on April 26, 2006 after members of the Land Use Committee rejected allegations of discrimination surrounding the designation. 3 CityLand 12 (Feb. 15, 2006).

At the April 11th vote of the Land Use Committee, Council Member Simcha Felder stated that during the designation process some opponents claimed that the designation was “being used to prevent people from moving into the neighborhood, and in this case Orthodox Jewish families.” Felder went on to say that numerous times he asked the opponents to prove the discrimination existed and added “there was not one occasion where anyone was able to come to me and prove to me that this was the case.” Felder noted that the allegation of anti-Semitism was being frivolously used and he found it extremely offensive.

The Land Use Committee voted to approve the designation with only Council Member Charles Barron abstaining. Barron explained his abstention by saying that “it wasn’t as clear cut as I thought it could have been.”

In the discussion surrounding the vote, Council Member Jessica Lappin, Chair of the Subcommittee on Landmarks, Siting & Maritime Uses, added that Landmarks had agreed to develop guidelines to make it easier for Fieldston property owners to apply for simple property improvements.

Council: Fieldston Historic District (April 26, 2006). CITYADMIN