More on Term Limits

On Friday, October 17, the New York Times published an editorial titled The Missing Landmarks Commission, which documented the lack of transparency and openness at LPC.

Much of the piece focused on 2 Columbus Circle, the story of which served as a perfect example of what's wrong with LPC in the 21st Century. According to the Times:

Despite a public debate over the fate of Stone’s building, the Landmarks Preservation Commission never held a public hearing. The commission’s chair — with the encouragement of the Bloomberg administration — had the matter shelved. In June 2005, the city issued a permit to destroy the old facade and rework the building.

The piece went on further to say:

The Landmarks Preservation Commission should be a vital part of the planning process in New York City. Instead, it has become a bureaucratic black hole, the place where requests for evaluation — the formal nominations of buildings or districts to be landmarked — go to get filed and forgotten.

We couldn't agree more. With the future of New York City's term limits law being debated at City Hall, issues like reforming the LPC are getting lost. Whether Mayor Bloomberg is granted an opportunity to win a third term, we must all fight to make sure that the next LPC is an agency we can all be proud of.

To read the full editorial, click here.