New details have emerged about the City’s recently-announced plan to deal with its backlog of 95 sites under consideration for landmark designation for more than five years.  After strong opposition from Village Preservation and the preservation community, the Landmarks Preservation Commission dropped its plan to remove the 95 sites from its list of potential landmarks without any public hearing or input.  The good news is the Commission has adopted a plan which closely follows the recommendations of Village Preservation and other preservation advocates working with the Manhattan Borough President, to allow and consider public input and testimony on each site, to provide full information on each site, and to consider each site for potential landmark designation, rather than removing it from the Commission’s list.

Full details of the plan can be found here.  The Commission will consider written public input on each of the 95 sites between now and September, hold public hearings allowing additional public input in October and November, decide whether to recommend designating, not designating, or removing from the calendar without prejudice (which would allow a site to come back for future consideration) in January and February of 2016, and hold designation hearings on those it does recommend for landmark designation between March and December of 2016.

There are four sites on the list in our area or of special concern to Village Preservation – 57 Sullivan Street(Broome/Spring Streets) in the South Village, and 1816 Federal-style house, 2 Oliver Street on the Lower East Side, an 1821 Federal-style house, 129 Second Avenue (St. Mark’s Place/9th Street) in the East Village, an 1832 Federal-style house, and the former James McCreery & Co. Store/Cast-Iron Lofts at 801-807 Broadway/67 East 11th Street, built in 1868.  Each of these will be heard by the Commission on November 5th.  Any member of the public can testify and/or submit written statements, but will be asked to register by October 29th to do so.  Village Preservation has advocated and will continue to advocate for landmark designation of all four.

Village Preservation will be providing the public with more detailed information about how they can support these designation efforts and be involved in the process.  But we are pleased to be able to share the news that a more transparent and equitable system which includes a path to potential landmark designation has been implemented for these sites.