LPC Newsletter

December 2015

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

Backlog Initiative

Our Newest Landmarks!

History in the Making Conference

Preservation Through Transformation

Public Hearing Information

Passive House and Other Deep Energy Retrofits

GREETINGS FROM THE CHAIR

As we near the end of 2015, I’d like to take this opportunity to thank you for your support of the Commission’s work, look back at the accomplishments and challenges of the past year, and enlist your help as we look forward to the work ahead of us in 2016

During a period of unprecedented economic development, this calendar year the Commission designated 2,104 buildings and sites in all five boroughs, including the first building designated solely for its cultural LGBT significance. I am particularly proud of our work to extend landmark protection to numerous worthy neighborhoods, including extensions to the Mount Morris Park and Riverside-West End Historic Districts in Manhattan, a third historic district in Crown Heights and, most recently, the Bedford Historic District in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood in Brooklyn.

The Commission has also made significant progress in addressing the backlog of calendared properties that have been heard but not designated, and successfully held four special hearings giving the public an opportunity to testify on the backlog items. The Commission will begin making decisions on the backlog items during public meetings to be announced in early 2016.

LPC has been very active in East Midtown this year. The agency worked with the East Midtown Steering Committee, led by Councilmember Daniel Garodnick and Borough President Gale Brewer, which has recently released its recommendations. In the new year, we will continue working to identify preservation opportunities in the area and look forward to releasing a framework in 2016.

This year we celebrated the Commission’s 50th anniversary, launched a dedicated website, and partnered with landmark sites throughout the City to celebrate this milestone. The agency also held a 50th anniversary law conference, where experts from around the country reflected on the agency’s past, and began to define its role for the next 50 years.

As you know, the designation of a building or area is only the beginning of the process for the Commission, and the agency continues to issue record numbers of permits each year and expand its enforcement efforts.

The Commission's critical work has been possible through the support of preservation groups, elected officials, community boards, and the owners and residents of landmark-worthy buildings and neighborhoods, and we look forward to continuing these important partnerships in 2016 and for years to come.

I'm very proud of the LPC's dedicated professional staff and everything we have accomplished in the past year. There is always more to do, and 2016 will bring new challenges and rewards as we designate and regulate more buildings in all five boroughs. I look forward to continuing to work toward our shared goal of preserving New York City's architectural, historic, and cultural heritage.

Happy Holidays,

Meenakshi Srinivasan

BACKLOG INITIATIVE

The Landmarks Preservation Commission developed a plan to address the backlog of 95 properties that were under consideration for designation, but have not been designated or acted upon. The plan includes public notice and comment on the properties and an efficient public hearing process that will ensure timely decisions are made on the backlog items. The backlog includes properties that were placed on the Commission’s calendar prior to 2010 and are currently inactive, of which 85 percent were calendared 20 or more years ago. The plan is composed of three phases: (1) Public Review Period, (2) Special Hearings Dedicated to Backlog Items, and (3) Subsequent Decisions.

The Commission successfully held special public hearings for backlog properties in all five boroughs in October and November, giving the public an opportunity to weigh in on the 95 sites. The agency will now move into the third phase of the plan and schedule public meetings in early 2016, where the Commission will make decisions on the backlog items.

OUR NEWEST LANDMARKS!

The Commission has recently designated the Bedford Historic District, the Mount Morris Park Historic District Extension, and the Riverside-West End Historic District Extension. In June, the LPC designated the Corbin Building in Manhattan, and the Stonewall Inn, making it the first landmark designated primarily for its LGBT significance.

HISTORY IN THE MAKING

On October 26th the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission and the Harvard University Graduate School of Design held a law conference in celebration of the 50th anniversary of the landmarks law. History in the Making: The New York City Landmarks Law at 50 was hosted at the New York City Bar Association, and co-chaired by Meenakshi Srinivasan, Chair of the LPC, and Jerold S. Kayden, Frank Backus Williams Professor of Urban Planning and Design at Harvard GSD. The successful day-long event was attended by more than 150 people, and featured presentations and discussions with dynamic experts from the fields of law, architecture, preservation, real estate, planning, politics, and civic engagement to explore the past, present, and future of the City’s landmarks law. The conference was also co-sponsored by the New York Landmarks Preservation Foundation and the New York City Bar Association.

Preservation Through Transformation

On December 10th, in honor of its 50th anniversary, the Landmarks Preservation Commission co-sponsored Preservation Through Transformation: A Review of Recent Adaptive Reuse Projects, an event organized by the AIANY Historic Buildings Committee and The Museum of the City of New York. LPC Chair Meenakshi Srinivasan gave a presentation on significant adaptive reuse projects of the past 50 years, followed by presentations by architects on a diverse group of recently approved projects that highlighted how the adaptive reuse of historic buildings contributes to the vibrancy and economic development of the city. Featured projects included the Tobacco Warehouse, Jonathan J. Marvel; Steinway Hall, Greg Pasquarelli, SHoP Architects; Tammany Hall, Harry Kendall and Todd Poission, BKSK & Partners; 10 Jay Street, Eran Chen, ODA Architecture; and Chase Manhattan Plaza, Frank E. Mahan, Skidmore Owings & Merrill, LLP.

PUBLIC HEARING INFORMATION

Reminder! Public Hearing and Meeting presentation materials are now available on the LPC website every Friday before Public Hearings and Public Meetings. This enables interested parties to view materials prior to the presentations at LPC, and to prepare informed testimony for Public Hearings. The public can also submit written letters regarding public meeting items of interest, which are entered into the record.

In addition, the Commission now posts its Certificate of Appropriateness Decisions online!

GREEN TIPS!

PASSIVE HOUSE AND OTHER DEEP ENERGY RETROFITS

Should I consider the Passive House standard or similar deep energy retrofit for renovating my locally-designated historic property??

Go for it.

In 2009, LPC received its first application for a historic building renovation seeking to use the Passive House building standard for high performance in energy efficiency, very low heating and cooling loads, superior indoor air quality and comfort, and improved building resiliency. Since then more applications have followed, and although LPC does not substantively review much of the work that goes into these projects because it takes place inside the building, staff has become familiar with certain exterior components requiring specialized detailing, such as triple-glazed windows.

Can new windows satisfying strict Passive House requirements be made to look like historic windows? And has LPC reviewed and approved windows of this type??

Yes and yes.

For Passive House-type projects requiring extremely energy efficient windows with triple-glazing, very high insulation values and no air leakage, for which typical modern double-hung windows and retrofitted older windows cannot comply, the Commission has approved simulated double-hung windows (i.e. casement lower sash set back from and below a fixed upper sash) more than twenty times for several distinct building types located in many different historic districts. While these particular window approvals are currently made via the Public Hearing process, because the operation and details typically vary from that of historic windows, LPC is considering a revision to the Rules to allow staff level approval for buildings in historic districts. If this Rule revision is approved, it will provide an opportunity for many projects of this type to be reviewed more quickly by LPC staff, assuming other aspects of the proposal (i.e. new additions) also qualify for staff level review.

Read more

This
is the NYC.gov News you requested for:

Landmarks Preservation Commission News

To unsubscribe please go to this link https://www.nyc.gov/portal/signin.jsp

Comment
on this news service.

PLEASE
DO NOT REPLY TO THIS MESSAGE!