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Is Landmarking Out of Control? Review of Crain's NY Business First Look Event

5/22/2014

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Can a table of five powerful preservation and development voices come to agreement regarding landmarking and development? Crain’s New York Business held a forum earlier this week - “Is Landmarking Out of Control?” to address the issues from a variety of perspectives.

LANDMARKING IS NOT THE ENEMY – Peg Breen 
Peg Breen, President of the New York Landmarks Conservancy, emphasized that landmarking is not the enemy. Historic districts are important and landmarked buildings do contribute to affordable housing. Giving clarity to who should be making decisions about such things, Breen stated, “It shouldn’t just be the developers who have the say in whether a building should or shouldn’t be landmarked. Developers are not the only ones who invest in this city, we all do.”

Historic districts (which arose as an underlying development issue) are not, Breen emphasized, designated without the desire and agreement of the community, “the people who live here.” Viewing historic districts as pointless, Kenneth T. Jackson, Professor of History and Social Science of Columbia University, said that people are interested in individual buildings. He has never heard of anyone saying that they want to come to New York to visit a historic district.

LANDMARKING PROCESS NEEDS REFORM – Steven Spinola 
The main mantra of Steven Spinola, President of the Real Estate Board of New York, was the process of landmarking which he felt was overly aggressive and out of control. His concerns were felt by all on the board: The process is in dire need of change. The changes needed include a specific time frame so that development is not stifled by a prolonged indefinite process, consideration of job creation, revenue, impact on the city itself, and affordable housing.

In an attack on Spinola’s view of landmarking, a question was posed regarding REBNY’s survey of 500 buildings for potential designation resulting in not one potential landmark. But Spinola allayed the concern by explaining that as the buildings were reviewed one by one, they were either substantially altered, had a problem with structural integrity, or poor copies of the real thing.

Steven Spinola’s concern about landmarking reached beyond the process to a concern for owners who were uninformed of the requirements of upkeep. What is needed are design guidelines which, he informed us all, he had been requesting for many years without any results. It is a major issue for owners and they should know what specific changes are permissible for their designated property.

AFFORDABLE HOUSING NOT NECESSARILY CAUSE & EFFECT – Ronda Wist 
Ronda Wist, vice president of Municipal Art Society of New York, attacked the main question in a congenial venn diagram approach, explaining that there were many things that all panel members agreed upon while having their own opinion on some aspects. She agreed permits being held up at the 11th hour should not be the norm. Moving away from numbers of how many affordable housing units were here or there, Wist chose to focus on cause and effect. In her own neighborhood, which is not landmarked, there wasn’t a single affordable housing unit concluding that lack of affordable housing was not the effect of landmarking.

TOP 10 LARGEST BUILDINGS IN THE WORLD, NYC HAS ZERO – Kenneth T. Jackson 
Kenneth T. Jackson, Professor of History and Social Science of Columbia University, had much to say about the detriments of landmarking. History, he claimed, is not about the buildings, it is about the people. “We need to expand our understanding of history.” Tossing out the idea of retaining old buildings, Jackson focused on affordable housing, progress and building “new.” “History is for losers,” he interjected at one point during the forum discussion.

He also noted that at one time New York City had 9 out of the 10 tallest buildings in the world; now we have zero. We are not building, what we have is too expensive, and we need more housing. If you want to live in a city, you need to expect change. This change should be decided by appealing to the 20-somethings who are around the country and want to move to New York.

A NEW GENERATION OF PRESERVATION & DEVELOPMENT - Nikolai Fedak 
Nikolai Fedak, founder and editor of New York YIMBY (Yes In My Back Yard), was in agreement that we need to build, but current buildings are not meeting the needs of the coming generation of young business entrepreneurs. Fedak was the voice of this new generation. He was clear and concise, stating that the city is about dynamic change; we need good development, not prohibitive development. While some buildings need to be preserved he noted, “landmarking is being used as a political tool rather than a tool to preserve what needs preserving. Politicians parlay to their own ends.” The new tech generation of business entrepreneurs need small esthetically pleasing spaces that are built to provide what is needed. Clearly forward looking, his focus was on finding ways to negotiate without compromising one’s stand on preservation and development.

BOTTOM LINE 
Toward the end, the floor was opened to attendees who seemed more bent on venting than asking questions. As the panelists gave their closing few words, it was clear that several issues were the concern of most: The city needs to progress; affordable housing needs to be included in all development, not just landmarked ones; the process of landmarking needs reform; landmarking needs to be a proactive process, not a reactive one; and it needs to be future thinking.

The best part of these events is having a moment to discuss issues one-on-one. I had the opportunity to speak with several panelists post-forum. It was clear that the wheels are turning on ideas of how to address the concerns voiced while integrating the needs of both preservation and development. As I stood outside the beautiful New York Athletic Club speaking with Nikolai Fedak, we agreed that the Hearst Tower on 57th is a great example of marrying the old with the new. “All buildings should be like that,” Fedak commented. And in response to my noting his very balanced view on preservation and development during the forum, he replied, “If we can’t come to an agreement, what is the point?”

Hear, hear!


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NYC Landmark Preservation Commission’s First Public Workshop

5/9/2012

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The NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission hearing.
Historic preservation organizations are learning the importance of reaching out to local communities to inform them of the essentials of caring for the history they hold in their hands. This past week I attended New York City Landmark Preservation Commission’s (LPC) first public workshop entitled Preservation 101 – An Introduction to the Landmarks Preservation Commission. The LPC gave an overview of the history of NYC preservation efforts: what is required to have a building designated; the application process for working on a preserved building, along with information about grant programs, loans, and tax credits. 


WORKING WITH THE LANDMARKS PRESERVATION COMMISSION 

Contrary to concerns voiced by several attendees, LPC is very user friendly and will walk alongside an individual who is seeking to preserve their building as it is improved, maintained, or restored. Each application is assigned a docket number along with a specific staff member who is dedicated to the applicant during the process. Detailed information about the process can be found on their website: The New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission.  


WHAT ABOUT….?

The idea of performing work on a designated building can be intimidating.  Some of the concerns that were put before the Commission are as follows:
  •  If I do interior work do I still need a permit? Possibly. There are times when interior work affects the outside such as putting in a new kitchen which requires a fan that must be vented to the outside.
  •  How long are permits good for? Permits are good for 4-6 years unless issued for correction for a violation. In that case the violation correction permit is usually good for approximately 6-12 months.
  •  Can an inspection be conducted prior to buying a building to see if there is a violation? The best way to discover this is by getting the designation photo which can be used as a guideline. Compare the photo with the current details of the building. Note: Recent designation photos are online at the LPC website. A request for a photo may take approximately one week.
  •  If the property already has violations that I don’t want to correct, but I want to perform some restorative work that requires a permit, will the LPC issue a permit or do I need to correct the other violations as well?  The LPC will issue a permit for any restorative work regardless if there are other outstanding violations.
  •  If I have performed work that is in compliance, but I didn’t obtain a permit, will the LPC approve the work? Any work that is in compliance will be approved. If the LPC issues a warning letter indicating that it is aware that work has been completed without an initial permit, the owner simply files an application. If the work is truly in compliance, the completed work will be approved. 
  •  What if my community board has a problem with the work I would like to do on my building? LPC suggests that you present your plans to the community board prior to applying to the LPC.

THE NYC LANDMARK PRESERVATION COMMISSION'S DEDICATION

The LPC’s dedication and commitment to assist in the preservation of city buildings was evidenced as they remained on hand long after the workshop was over in order to answer additional individual questions. If your building is within the five boroughs and is not already dedicated, but you believe it may qualify, visit the LPC website and fill out a Request for Evaluation form. There is an enormous amount of information on the website and the LPC has indicated that there is more to come.
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