Councilmember David Greenfield, chair of the Committee on Land Use . Image credit: William Alatriste/New York City Council
Peter Koo and David Greenfield-sponsored bill was supported by Real Estate industry and vehemently opposed by preservationists. On June 8, 2016, the full City Council voted to approve a bill amending the City’s Landmark Law following a Land Use Committee meeting on June 7.
The legislation, Introduction 775, mandates that Landmarks vote on an item for designation as an individual, interior, or scenic landmark within one year of holding a public hearing. If the Commission does not hold a vote within the 12-month time span, the item will be removed from the Commission’s calendar. The Commission may extend the time frame by another 12 months with the owner’s concurrence if there is sufficient need. For historic districts, the Commission must take action within 24 months of the district’s initial calendaring. For all items that have been calendared prior to the law’s passage, the Commission must take action within 18 months of the law’s effective date, with a provision for a further 12-month extension with the owner’s consent. (read more…)
A map of the approved extension. Image credit: LPC
Commission decided to retain boundaries as originally presented, after considering questions raised at July hearing. On September 22 2015, the Landmarks Preservation Commission voted to designate the Mount Morris Park Historic District Extension, composed of the 276 properties on six blocks. The new district adjoins and shares a development history with the existing Mount Morris Park Historic District, designated in 1971.
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Architect’s rendering of the Pier 17 proposal. Image credit: SHoP Architects
The demolitions would make new Pier building a free-standing structure, with four visible facades, and a new canopy that would allow for all-weather use of roof space. On August 4, 2015, representatives of the Howard Hughes Corporation appeared at the Landmarks Preservation Commission to propose revisions to their planned redevelopment of Piers 16 and 17 in the South Street Seaport Historic District. Landmarks in 2012 approved an application by SHoP Architects, after multiple hearings, to replace the 1985 mall that previously stood on the site. The pier, at 89 South Street, lies in Manhattan’s South Street Seaport Historic District.
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The proposed extension of the Mount Morris Park Historic District, outlined in red. Image credit: NYC LPC
276-property proposed extension shares developments history, scale and architecture with existing historic district. On July 21, 2015, the Landmarks Preservation Commission held a hearing on a possible extension to the 1971-designated Mount Morris Park Historic District . The extension is composed of 276 properties and lies east of Lenox Avenue, between 117th and 124th Streets. The extension shares its development history with the existing historic district as one of the first residential areas in Harlem, with most buildings constructed following the extension of rapid transit to the area around 1880.
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Thirty-three properties were removed from district between hearing and designation, mostly along Broadway. On June 23, 2015, the Landmarks Preservation Commission voted to designate the Riverside/West End Historic District Extension II. The original Riverside/West End Historic District was designated by Landmarks in 1989, and the first extension was designated in 2012. The designated area stretches between 89th and 109th Streets, and is bounded by Broadway and Riverside Drive to the east and west.
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