Get Involved: Landmarks Review at Community Boards

Note: This is an updated version of a post originally written by Amanda Davis

Two recent Landmarks applications at Jane Street (11 Jane and 85-89 Jane) have garnered a lot of public interest and therefore involvement in the process of the certificate of appropriateness permits for landmarked properties.  To that end, we thought we would review the Community Board’s role in that process.

Alterations to landmarked buildings that require a LPC public hearing must first be presented to the local community board.  Village Preservation attends all Community Board 2 Landmarks & Public Aesthetics Committee meetings as well as Community Board 3 Landmarks Subcommittee meetings. Agendas of the community boards’ committee meetings are posted at the beginning of each month, and PDF’s of the proposals are usually accessible via the agendas prior to the meetings.  Village Preservation shares the proposals with the public on our Landmarks Applications Webpage, where we also list the date, time and place for the Community Board Landmarks Committee meetings.

At these meetings, anyone can come and listen to the applicant present their proposals for the first time; after the community board members ask questions, there is an opportunity for the public to raise any questions or concerns.  A prepared statement isn’t necessary.

Following a Community Board Landmarks Committee meeting, resolutions on applications are presented at the full Community Board meetings.  Usually, they are passed by the Board as written but sometimes they may be amended.  Although the community board resolutions are only advisory to the LPC, these meetings are an important first step for the public to get involved with the landmarks review process.

Be sure to check our Landmarks Applications Webpage to see if there are upcoming hearings in CB2 or CB3, and to get involved with changes to landmarks in your neighborhood!