Older buildings in New York slated for demolition could be subject to a 30-day landmarks preservation review under a proposed bill that critics say would grind development across the city to a halt.
Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer’s bill would target buildings more than 50 years old. But in a city where so many buildings were built decades and decades ago, the legislation would include up to 80 percent of the buildings citywide, and more than 90 percent of the building’s in Manhattan alone, according to a new report.
Brewer’s proposal has angered not only powerful developers, but construction unions and affordable-housing advocates, according to Crains New York Business.
“Generally, replacement buildings are an improvement,” Richard Anderson, president of the New York Building Congress, told Crains.
“But if an existing structure should be considered a landmark, we have a process for that. To put everything under a blanket review—I don’t see the basis to do that.”
Brewer’s bill was inspired by the scheduled demolition of the iconic Rizzoli bookstore which is housed in a 109-year-old building on W. 57th Street, The bookstore lost a bid for landmark preservation protection, but Brewer said the process showcased the need for reform.
“We must avoid more Rizzoli-like ambushes on our history,” Brewer said. “Without a lively streetscape and diversity within our commercial districts, we will lose what makes Manhattan Manhattan.”
Brewer said she might be flexible on the language and target buildings older than what is designated in the current plan.
But even extending the threshold age to 80-year-old structures would mean that the law would cover more than half of the buildings in the entire city.
And the city’s Landmarks Preservation Commission doesn’t have the staff to enforce the bill, a spokeswoman said.
There are more than 31,000 landmark properties in New York City, most of which are located in 109 historic districts and 20 historic district extensions in all five boroughs.