Statement before the City Council
Preliminary Budget Hearing on the Landmarks Preservation Commission

The Historic Districts Council is the citywide advocate for New York’s historic districts and neighborhoods meriting preservation. The Landmarks Preservation Commission is the only city agency specifically tasked to ensure that New York City’s historic buildings and neighborhoods are preserved . Other city agencies affect our neighborhoods and as New Yorkers concerned with the continued physical well-being of our city’s historic communities, we must stop expecting the LPC to solve every problem a historic neighborhood faces,. That being said, a strong, efficient LPC is critical to the health and vitality of our historic city and it is my pleasure to testify before the City Council regarding the agency’s preliminary budget.
Over the past two years, the City Council has proven itself to be a strong partner to the LPC, twice increasing the agency’s budget which has borne remarkable fruit. These increases have enabled the LPC to sustain itself during a record period of construction and development activity; in this past fiscal year the agency having designated over 1,000 buildings in all five boroughs over and issued close to 10,000 permits for work on buildings under its oversight. When the current size of the agency is considered – 60 or so fulltime staff and an annual budget of less than $4 million – this productivity is even more remarkable.
Given both the demand on the agency and its recent success in meeting it, the Historic Districts Council feels it is imperative that the Landmarks Preservation Commission is able to continue to operate at its current level. That is why have asked Mayor Bloomberg to ensure that the LPC budget not be cut, despite a tough budget climate, and that the $300,000 added by the City Council last year be base-lined into the agency budget.

HDC appreciates that the Mayor’s plan for 2030 understands the importance of neighborhood character. Historic districts help protect that character, raising property values and providing popular places to live and visit. Addressing the demand for additional districts while maintaining appropriate oversight of existing districts is a crucial part of ensuring that New York City will meet the challenges of the years ahead. In fact, HDC is about to host a series of panels on that topic this weekend.

The Council should be aware that, to the best of our knowledge, there are currently more than 50 areas, in every borough, where citizens and community groups are asking for new historic districts to be designated. These proposed districts encompass over 18,000 thousand buildings and thousands of New Yorkers. These are regular citizens who want the City’s help to maintain and enhance their communities . The best way to do this is through a strong, efficient Landmarks Preservation Commission.
Should the Mayor base-line the additional funds that the City Council has so generously provided over the past two years., we do ask that the Council contemplate how to best enhance and strengthen the agency further. A few suggestions would be the enactment of Intro 542, the Landmarks Protection Bill, holding hearings on the Tax Assessment Bill introduced by Councilmember Gioia last spring and even revisiting the Demolition Delay Bill introduced by Councilmember McMahon early in this session. Even more radical ideas for enhancements would be an investigation of preservation incentives – be it an increase in the Community Block grants already administered by LPC, some kind of Main Street or façade improvement program or perhaps something I haven’t even thought of yet. Landmarking is forever and by making an investment in it, we are making an investment in our city’s future. What do WE want New York to look like in 20 years?