Peaceful protests, protected by the First Amendment, are fundamental to our constitutional system and to democracy. Peaceful protest marches and rallies have been instrumental in bringing about significant change in racial, gender, LGBTQ and economic equality; reproductive rights; climate policy; capital punishment; housing; criminal justice, and voting rights. Yet in recent years appropriate venues have been unavailable for large peaceful protests, raising the question of whether City practices inappropriately limit the exercise of First Amendment … <Read More>
Search Results for: Federal Grants
Nisha Agarwal: “Lawyers help enforce the law, but also change it”
In 2014, Mayor Bill de Blasio appointed Nisha Agarwal as the Commissioner of the Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs. Agarwal has since pushed forward and implemented IDNYC, New York City’s municipal ID card, a program that ensures that all New York City residents have access to City services. More than 900,000 New York City residents have signed up in the two years the program has operated. Agarwal also supervises ActionNYC. ActionNYC connects New Yorkers with … <Read More>
Hearing Held on Potential New Historic District in South Village
Designation of 157 buildings as new historic district supported by elected officials and many residents, while some property owners object. On November 29, 2016, the Landmarks Preservation Commission held a public hearing on the possible designation of the Sullivan Thompson Historic District, composed of approximately 157 properties south of Washington Square Park and east of Seventh Avenue. The proposed district, added to the Commission’s calendar at its November 1 meeting, is characterized by two major … <Read More>
157-Building District South of Washington Square Park Enters Designation Process
Originally developed as a residential rowhouse neighborhood, district grew to a mixed-use working class community in the early 20th century. At its meeting on November 1, 2016, the Landmarks Preservation Commission voted to add the Sullivan-Thompson Historic District to its calendar, formally commencing the designation process. The proposed district is composed of approximately 157 buildings south of Washington Square Park and east of Seventh Avenue. It would adjoin the existing SoHo-Cast Iron Historic District… <Read More>
Preservation Consultant Gregory Dietrich on a Unique Path to a Unique Career
Gregory Dietrich, Principal of Gregory Dietrich Preservation Consulting, works as one of the small number of privately practicing historic preservation consultants. His vocation brings him into close contact with regulatory bodies, developers, land use agencies, advocacy groups, non-profit organizations and more. This gives him a unique perspective, and requires a wide range of expertise he continues to broaden. In conversation, his intellectual versatility becomes readily apparent, as he discussed his work, his background, and … <Read More>
NYC Landmarks Law and Regulation of Open Space
The 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 … <Read More>