Community believes that unprotected rowhouse neighborhood faces development pressure. On October 28, 2008, Landmarks heard testimony on a proposed historic district encompassing about 870 buildings in Prospect Heights, Brooklyn. The area is generally bounded by Grand Army Plaza, Flatbush Avenue, Pacific Street, and Washington Avenue. If designated, the historic district would be Brooklyn’s largest. The neighborhood includes significant structures, such as the 1887 Duryea Presbyterian Church, but its historic character lies in its residential rowhouses, spanning a variety of styles and built throughout the latter half of the 19th century. 5 CityLand 107 (Aug. 15, 2008).

Residents generally expressed support for Landmarking. Many testified that inappropriate rear yard additions, blocking neighbors’ views and light, had proliferated in recent years. Gib Veconi, Chair of the Prospect Heights Neighborhood Development Council, claimed that “the character and scale of Prospect Heights is threatened today by development seeking to maximize the amount of floor area available,” and that under the current zoning, many of the area’s lots were 25 percent underbuilt, and some as much as 75 percent. (read more…)