NYC Landmarks Law and Regulation of Open Space
By Christopher RizzoThe Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) has jurisdiction over both buildings and landscape features on landmarks sites. But the Commission rarely directly regulates changes to landscape features. For routine landscaping changes and in urban contexts, the landscape features are rarely a concern. In other cases the landscape takes on central importance. This is especially true where there where the existing landscaping and natural land features figure prominently in the beauty and importance of the site. In some cases the open space of the landmark site may be as important as the building itself, such as in Douglaston, Queens and Fieldston, Bronx. The Commission and its sister agencies should play a larger role in protecting the landscapes associated with the landmarked structures by acknowledging the importance of the landscaping at designation and later when new tax lots or proposed developments come before the Commission.