Reforming the Landmarking Process
In recent years the NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission has begun the practice of letting property owners know that they are even thinking about considering their properties for potential landmark designation weeks or months before any calendaring vote, thus giving bad actors advance warning to seek and secure demolition or alteration permits before the Commission can take action to protect the building. This extra-legal process, as well as the Commission’s sometimes slow pace in designating buildings or districts once calendared, has allowed many historic properties being considered for landmark designation to be compromised or lost.
We hope the new chair of the Landmarks Preservation Commission and our new mayor will consider a more careful approach. Property owners must by law be notified of any potential action under consideration by the Commission, and certainly should be. But the current practices of the Commission, which go well beyond this, give bad actors too much opportunity to get around the law and subvert the landmarking process.
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06/16/14 
