Panel Nixes Plan To Cut List Of Potential City Landmarks
The city’s Landmarks Preservation Commission has withdrawn its controversial plan to remove 98 properties awaiting landmark status from their list, including St. Augustine’s Church on 6th Avenue, Green-Wood Cemetery and Lady Moody’s House in Gravesend.
As we previously reported, the commission was scheduled to vote on “decalendaring” the sites on Tuesday, December 9, as an effort to clear a backlog of applications and prioritize new ones.
After receiving pushback from advocates, local politicians, and preservationists – who say that the removing the properties from the calendar does not consider the community’s interest or the merits of individual properties – the commission announced that it will to postpone Tuesday’s vote until after January.
In withdrawing the proposal, she said she wanted to provide more time for people to speak up for certain properties while making clear all would be dealt with sooner rather than later.
“We remain committed to making the Landmarks Commission more effective and responsive in its work, and clearing a backlog of items,” Ms. Srinivasan said in a statement.
“We’ve heard a real openness from the commission,” Simeon Bankoff, executive director of the Historic Districts Council, told us. “I’m am hoping that is going to be a little bit of a wake up call for the public to become more aware of unprotected historic properties.”
Community members can learn more about the sites in question and how to make their voices heard on the Historic District Council’s website.