City Council Alert: Hearing on Int. 542
Today (Tuesday, October 23rd) at 11:00 A.M., the City Council's committee on Landmarks, Public Siting & Maritime Uses will hear testimony on Intro. 542, a bill proposed by Council Member Rosie Mendez and sponsored by 23 members of the Council, which would improve communications between the Department of Buildings and the Landmarks Preservation Commission. Specifically, it requires:
...the landmarks preservation commission to issue notice to the department of buildings when a property is under consideration for designation as a landmark, requiring the department of buildings to issue notice to the landmarks preservation commission when permit applications for buildings under consideration for designation as a landmark are received, and revoking permits previously issued by the department of buildings when a property is designated as a landmark.
The use of Department of Buildings permits to modify and/or tear down buildings being considered for landmark status has been a controversial practice for years. The question is, does this bill go far enough? What is your opinion? Feel free to comment (below) or email your comments to Citizens@savelpc.org.
1 Comments:
The bill does not go far enough because it fails to protect a building for which an RFE has been filed but which the LPC has declined to calendar, regardless of the merits. The fatal stretch is between filing and calendaring. How many historic buildings go down because the the LPC won't calendar the RFE? The City Council could change this by passing a bill -- in fact there is such a bill languishing in the Council -- permitting a Councilmember to calendar an RFE before the LPC, providing a safe harbor for an endangered historic building pending hearing, and that's what is needed.
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