CECCP and Save St. Vincent File Suit Against LPC

On Friday, January 30, the Citizens Emergency Committee to Preserve
Preservation and Save St. Vincent De Paul, Inc. filed an Article 78 lawsuit in effort to secure the landmarking of the historic Church of St. Vincent de Paul on West 23rd Street in Chelsea. The Church, which is the last remaining French parish in New York City and was also the first integrated religious institution in the City, has already been identified as eligible for listing on the Federal and State Registers of Historic Places.

The lawsuit challenges the refusal of LPC Chair Robert Tierney to refer to the full Commission the question of whether a public hearing should be calendared for possible designation. As has happened all too regularly, the Chair arrogated to himself – and himself alone – the decision on whether to calendar a hearing. The legal petition also asserts that in refusing to refer the matter to the full LPC, Mr. Tierney acted in an arbitrary and capricious way, rejecting out of hand the possible designation of St. Vincent de Paul when other former church structures very similar in appearance and with far less important histories have recently been landmarked.

CECPP hopes that this lawsuit will not only result in the serious consideration of St. Vincent de Paul as a City landmark but may also serve as an important precedent in restraining the Chair from making unilateral decisions on landmarking.

If you are interested in the case, you can download and read the Verified Petition at http://www.box.net/shared/14yjqgt6l1, the Petitioners’ Memorandum of Law at http://www.box.net/shared/qy2r2ectce and the Supporting Affidavit of Olga Statz at http://www.box.net/shared/0m780oja07.

We’ll keep you up to date on the case as it progresses.

City Budget 2011

Last week, Mayor Bloomberg released his 2011 Preliminary Budget with cuts aimed at closing a $4.9 Billion deficit.

Despite the heavy cuts, though, it appears that the Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) has been largely spared, with just $51,000 in cuts proposed for FY 2001 ($4.819 proposed, down from $4,870 Million in the FY 2010 Adopted Budget). Of course, with an agency as small and busy as LPC, what's left to cut?

We'll keep our eyes on the situation over the next few weeks and update you on any changes.

New Council Landmarks Chair

The Citizens Emergency Committee to Preserve Preservation congratulates Council Member Bradford Lander on his new post as Chair of the Subcommittee on Landmarks, Public Siting and Maritime Uses.

Before winning his Council seat this past November (replacing Bill DeBlasio, who is now Public Advocate), Lander was the director of the Pratt Center for Community Development.

We look forward to working with Council Member Lander to make the Landmarks Preservation Commission more Fair, Independent and Transparent.

Congratualtions are also in order to former Landmarks Chair Jessica Lappin, who is now serving as Chair of the Committee on Aging.

State of the City 2010

Today, Mayor Bloomberg gave his 2010 State of the City Speech in Astoria, Queens. No real mention of preservation or landmarks but if you are interested in hearing about the Mayor's agenda for this year, you can read the whole speech here.

Lost City Looks Back at 2009

The local blog Lost City recently did an excellent post on the landmarks and institutions lost this year to the current recession and our city's endless drive to develop. The article isn't completely about landmarks but it is definitely worth reading.

Check it out here here.

Happy New Year, everyone! See you in 2010!

CECPP in The New York Environmental Lawyer

We recently learned that The New York Environmental Lawyer, a publication of the New York State Bar Association that focuses on sustainability, highlighted our case CECPP v Tierney back in the Spring of 2009! In an article by Susan M. Stern titled Two Recent Cases Highlight Concerns About the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission's Management of the Designation Process, the court's decision in the case was used as another example of the agency's lack of transparency. After reviewing the case and Landmarks West's efforts in the Columbus Circle case, Stern ultimately advocates for a more holistic approach:

The overall aim should be to make the pre-designation process as comprehensive as the post-designation process, with procedures for time frames and communication spelled out. Such reform should maintain LPC's discretion on designations, but give the Commission a better framework to operate with.

We couldn't agree more!

Mayoral Breakfast photos

Here are some photos of Rev. Billy Talen, Green Party Candidate for Mayor, at the 3rd and final Mayoral Candidate Breakfast.