Battle for Neighborhood
South of Union Square Continues

Last week GVSHP testified at a three hour hearing on a proposal to landmark just seven of the nearly two hundred buildings in the threatened area south of Union Square between Fifth and Third Avenues. As a result of a deal made by Councilmember Carlina Riverain August in exchange for her vote in support of the 14th Street Tech Hub upzoning, the City is considering a mere seven of the one hundred ninety-three buildings GVSHP identified in the area as worthy of consideration for landmark designation. The Tech Hub upzoning will increase development pressure in an area already beset by the demolition of historic buildings and out-of-scale new construction, as exemplified by the planned demolition of the historic St. Denis Hotel at Broadway and 11th Street to make way for a large glass office building likely to cater to tech firms.

At last week’s hearing, GVSHP urged the Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) to consider a different approach to landmarking the area, citing the need for broader, historic district designation and the need to focus on more immediately threatened buildings now (six of the seven proposed buildings are “overbuilt” under existing zoning, meaning there is no incentive to tear them down).  Read coverage here. The LPC has resisted such calls and Councilmember Rivera failed to deliver on her campaign promise that she would only support the 14th Street Tech Hub upzoning if it was accompanied by comprehensive protections for the affected neighborhood to the south. But GVSHP will soon be delivering additional information to the LPC to make the case for broader landmarking in this area which we hope will get them to reconsider.

We have already generated over 1,600 letters to the LPC in support of broader landmark protections for this endangered neighborhood. Please write if you have not already, or ask friends and neighbors to:

State Senators Hoylman and Krueger and Assemblymember Deborah Glick wrote the LPC urging them to consider broader landmark designation for the area along with these seven buildings. Councilmember Rivera neither attended the LPC hearing nor sent staff to testify, either in support of the landmark designation of the seven proposed buildings or for broader landmark protections for the neighborhood.