What's the Emergency?

Beloved buildings, architectural treasures, cultural icons, and historic places that New Yorkers care passionately about, are being defaced and demolishedthese are the very buildings and places that should be protected by NYCs Landmarks Law. These losses are only increasing, not decreasing. Last year it was the Morris Lapidus building on Union Square, last summer it was 2 Columbus Circle, last month it was St. Brigids Church on the Lower East Side of Manhattan. What will it be tomorrow?

Why is this happening?

1. Lack of fairness in the process: The Landmarks Preservation Commissions process has become less democratic over time. It is now more difficult than ever for the informed and concerned public to have their opinion matter in a Landmarks hearing. The public testifies, but are we heard?
2. Lack of independence on the Commission: In recent years, appointees to the Commission by the Mayor lacked experience in, or understanding of historic preservation and landmarks. In fact, one recent appointee was a lobbyist for developers, by trade. Does that sound like the best way to preserve and protect our citys landmarks?
3. Lack of resources: Over the past 40 years, more than 22,000 landmarks have been protected by the commission. Yet, as the Landmark Preservation Commissions work has increased, its staff has shrunk by 25%.

Whats our Response?

In May 2006, we formed the Citizens Emergency Committee to Preserve Preservation to focus attention on our citys landmark emergency and to implement a campaign to aggressively address the three causes behind it. The Campaign will:

1. Ensure Fairness: LPC needs new procedures to improve openness and responsiveness to the public. No more deals behind closed doors!
2. Reestablish Commission Independence: Landmarks commissioners should be properly qualified when they are appointed to the job. Once appointed, they should be free to make the decisions that they think are right.
3. Secure Appropriate Resources: the LPC needs more staff and funding to meet the mandates spelled out in the Landmarks Law.

Lack of Fairness in the Process

The Landmarks Preservation Commission’s process has become less democratic over time. It is now more difficult than ever to have your opinion matter on landmark issues. The public testifies, but are we being heard?

1. The decision as to whether the Landmarks Preservation Commission holds a public hearing on a potential landmark site is determined behind closed doors by agency staff and commissioners;
2. When a hearing is scheduled, the public has access to often incomplete documentation on the application. This information is made available during limited hours just 3 business days before the hearing. Often the plans submitted at the public hearing have changed by the time the public has reviewed these documents, making their testimony obsolete
3. When landmark applications are reviewed at a public hearing and sent back to the applicant for changes, the public is not allowed to testify at the second hearing, which is focused on these updates. The applicant gets a second chance, why doesn’t the public?
4. During hearings, the public is often not allowed to use visual aids to explain their testimony, despite the fact that applicants are given this right
5. Community Boards, our voice in city government, are given very short notice about upcoming landmarks hearings regarding properties in their districts. This gives them little time to notify the community, hold hearings, or prepare an official response

Does this sound like the best way to preserve and protect our city’s irreplaceable landmarks?

What's our Response?

In May 2006, we formed the Citizens Emergency Committee to Preserve Preservation to focus attention on our city’s landmark emergency and to implement a campaign to aggressively address the three causes behind it. The Campaign will:

1. Ensure Fairness: LPC needs new procedures to improve openness and responsiveness to the public. No more deals behind closed doors!
2. Reestablish Commission Independence: Landmarks commissioners should be properly qualified when they are appointed to the job. Once appointed, they should be free to make the decisions that they think are right
3. Secure Appropriate Resources: the LPC needs more staff and funding to meet the mandates spelled out in the Landmarks Law

Lack of Independence on the Commission

The Landmarks Preservation Commission is made up of 11 commissioners who are appointed by the Mayor and confirmed by the City Council. While the Commission was created as an independent body charged with protecting the city’s landmarks on behalf of the public, several factors have recently compromised their independence:

1. The Mayor has failed to reappoint Commissioners in a timely fashion. As a result, any member of the Commission can be removed at any time, a situation that seriously compromises their independence. Nothing prevents a mayor from removing a commissioner for voting in opposition to his wishes
2. Recent mayoral appointees to the Commission have lacked experience in historic preservation; nor have they demonstrated an understanding of the preservation ethic or the landmarks law. This, too, undermines a commissioner’s ability to make independent, informed decisions
3. Members of the Landmarks Preservation Commission are public officials, and their votes on each matter coming before the Commission ought to be a matter of public record. It is unacceptable that the votes are not recorded on the LPC's website or any other readily accessible source

What's our Response?

CECPP believes that LPC Commissioners should be hired according to standards that make sense. Commissioners should have:

• Strong knowledge of and belief in the core principles of historic preservation as expressed in the Landmarks law
• Experience: Demonstrable participation in historic preservation activity in New York City
• A commitment to promoting the purpose of the Commission as expressed in the Landmarks law

Once appointed, they should be free to make the decisions that they think are right. In addition, the Mayor should act immediately to reappoint commissioners whose term has lapsed or replace them with new appointees.

Lack of Resources

The Landmarks Preservation Commission is one of the smallest city agencies in New York, yet its workload is impressively large and growing every day. Despite the excellent work they are doing, their staff and budget have become dangerously small:

1. The Commission’s budget has shrunk by 35% since 1990, in constant dollars
2. The Commission’s staff has decreased by 25% since 1990. Over this same time period, the number of applications to repair or modify landmarks (which the Commission regulates) has more than doubled, to 9,000 per year;
3. The Commission has just 52 staff members who watch over more than 22,000 landmarks throughout the five boroughs; only 3 of which are charged with enforcing the landmarks law
4. The Commission’s share of the city budget has shrunk by 52% since 1990. It now occupies just .007% of the entire city budget
5. Since 1990, the Commission has increased the revenue it generates for the city from just $10,000 per year to more than $1 million per year. It now raises nearly 1/3 of its agency budget, yet the city continues to deny the Commission the funding and staff it needs

What’s our Response?

In May 2006, we formed the Citizens Emergency Committee to Preserve Preservation to focus attention on our city’s landmark emergency and to implement a campaign to aggressively address the three causes behind it. The Campaign will:

1. Ensure Fairness: LPC needs new procedures to improve openness and responsiveness to the public. No more deals behind closed doors!
2. Reestablish Commission Independence: Landmarks commissioners should be properly qualified when they are appointed to the job. Once appointed, they should be free to make the decisions that they think are right
3. Secure Appropriate Resources: the LPC needs more staff and funding to meet the mandates spelled out in the Landmarks Law