A recently introduced City Council bill would, for the first time, set deadlines for the Landmarks Preservation Commission to decide on applications for designation. For individual landmarks, LPC would have 180 days from calendaring to hold a public hearing, and another 180 days from the date of the hearing to take final action. For historic districts, LPC would similarly have one year to hold a public hearing, and another year to make a determination. Currently, there are no deadlines for LPC to take action on applications, which has resulted in a significant backlog of properties that have been calendared and therefore restricted for years.
In addition to the deadlines for new landmarks, the bill would also give LPC 18 months to decide on the futures of the almost 100 properties that have been calendared but not yet designated as landmarks. This backlog of properties includes 80 that were calendared more than 20 years ago but are currently deemed inactive at LPC.
The bill, Int. No. 775 of 2015, was introduced on Tuesday, and is expected to make it to the full council, as its sponsors are the chairs of the Land Use Committee and the subcommittee on Landmarks Public Siting and Maritime Uses.
To learn more about the bill, click here.