SoHo landmarking extended, no action on South Village yet
 On Tuesday, May 11th the Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) voted to approve a 135-building extension of the SoHo Historic District, which was first designated in 1973. This long-overdue designation extends the district west to Thompson Street and east to Lafayette Street and beyond (see map HERE). The SoHo Historic District Extension abuts GVSHP’s proposed South Village Historic District, and in fact actually includes four buildings within our proposed South Village District (see HERE). Congratulations to our colleagues at the Victorian Society and the SoHo Alliance, who advocated for this much-needed extension of landmark protections. Read the coverage in DNAinfo.
The SoHo Historic District Extension was heard by the LPC the same day at the 238-building first phase of the proposed South Village Historic District, but the LPC has not voted on the South Village yet. After initially stating that the first phase of the South Village would be voted on this spring, the LPC has since pushed back that estimate to the summer. We do however understand that they have completed survey work on a second phase of the South Village Historic District, which would follow designation of the first phase, leaving a final third of the district to possibly be considered after that. Unfortunately, this drawn out approach would require several years at best to complete designation of the South Village, even as more and more of the historic neighborhood faces imminent threats.
GVSHP is urging the LPC to expedite the process of considering the entire South Village for historic district designation, and has urged them to consider the entire remaining sections of the neighborhood as soon as possible. We have been joined in that request by Borough President Stringer, Congressman Nadler, State Senator Duane, and Assemblymember Glick.
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