Prelude to Preservation 2030

Hopefully you've marked your calendar for Preservation 2030, the annual conference sponsored by Historic Districts Council, taking place the weekend of March 7-9, 2008 (for more information about registering, visit www.hdc.org. The following pre-conference talks touch on timely topics of interest.

Thursday, February 28, 2008
Preservation, Planning & Aesthetic Regulation in New York City
6:30pm, Parish Hall, St. Mark's Church in-the-Bowery, 131 East 10th Street at 2nd Avenue, Manhattan

This program is co-sponsored by Pratt Institute's Graduate Historic Preservation Program.

There are many areas of New York City that possess unique amenities but do not meet the criteria defined in the Landmarks Law for designation. Because of decisions made during the 1961 revision of the New York City Zoning Resolution, planning practice here largely does not deal with or regulate the aesthetics of place - the color, scale or type of building materials,which so affect the visual feel of a neighborhood. Arguably, the time has come to craft a different model, in which aesthetic concerns are central to neighborhood planning efforts. What framework for neighborhood planning can be devised to focus attention on the built environment as inevitable changes take hold within the public realm?

The panel discussion, moderated by Carol Clark, Adjunct Associate Professor, Columbia University's Graduate School of Architecture, Planning andPreservation, will feature Sarah Kelly, Executive Director, Boston Preservation Alliance; Christopher J. Ise, Principal Planner, Providence,R.I.; Mark Ginsberg, FAIA, Partner, Curtis & Ginsberg Architects LLP; Julia Vitullo-Martin, Senior Fellow, Manhattan Institute; and Eric Allison, Coordinator of the Historic Preservation Graduate Program at Pratt Institute.

Thursday, March 6, 2008
A History of Population in New York City

6:30pm, Parish Hall, St. Mark's Church in-the-Bowery, 131 East 10th Streetat 2nd Avenue, Manhattan

According to PlaNYC 2030, New York City's population is expected to grow byone million people within the next 25 years. However significant, this isnot the first population boom our city will have endured. Since it first wasestablished as a center of the Dutch fur trade New York has been no strangerto growing populations and the commensurate physical growing pains. Thislecture will examine two eras that saw sudden influxes of new residents, thefactors that motivated these large-scale migrations, and the city's attemptsto accommodate these new arrivals.

Noted architectural historian and New York Sun columnist Francis Morrone will discuss the turn of the 20th century, a period during which New York City gained more than two million new residents in approximately twenty years. Dr. Jeffrey Kroessler, author of New York, Year by Year, will examine the post-WWII expansion in urban areas throughout the five boroughs.

Preservation Calendar Updates

UPDATE YOUR CALENDARS!

First, due to anticipated inclement weather, Council Member Tony Avella's press conference regarding the withdrawal of the proposed AIA zoning text amendments has been CANCELLED for Friday, February 22.

So, stay warm and rest up for two major, upcoming preservation events:

Preserving New York - Then and Now Symposium (this Saturday, February 23, co-sponsored by the Museum of the City of New York and the New York Preservation Archive Project)

Preservation 2030 - The Historic Districts Council's 14th Annual Preservation Conference (March 7-9)

For more details, please read on...

Preserving New York - Then and Now symposium
Saturday, February 23, 2008
8:00 am - 6:00 pm
Museum of the City of New York
1220 Fifth Avenue at 104th Street

The Museum of the City of New York and the New York Preservation Archive Project invite you to attend Preserving New York - Then and Now, an all-day event featuring panel presentations and discussions that focus on issues that have remained central to New York City's preservation movement from past to present.

The symposium kicks off with a keynote address by Anthony C. Wood, author of the recently released book Preserving New York: Winning the Right to Protect a City's Landmarks. Panel highlights include a conversation between Robert A.M. Stern and Kenneth T. Jackson about preservation's role in the evolution of New York. Other panel topics include: "Where Did the 'History' Go in Historic Preservation?", "The Media and Preservation: New Media, Old Roles?", "Changing Preservation Advocacy Over the Decades", and "The Preservation Civic Sector in Times of Change."

The day closes with concluding remarks by author, scholar and rapporteur Tony Hiss. The event includes lunch, an authors' signing and a cocktail reception. The event is co-sponsored by the New York Preservation Archive Project and The Museum of the City of New York.

RESERVATIONS REQUIRED: $25 Museum member and member of co-sponsoring organization, $30 Non-member. To register, visit www.mcny.org, or call 212-534-1672 x3395.

For more information about the schedule and panelists please visit www.mcny.org or www.nypap.org

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HDC Presents Its 14th Annual Preservation conference, "Preservation 2030,"March 7-9, 2008

PRESERVATION CONFERENCE SERIES Save the date now for the Historic Districts Council's 14th Annual Preservation Conference,"Preservation 2030." The conference will take place March 7-9, 2008. Taking Mayor Bloomberg's PlaNYC 2030 as our starting point, HDC will gather a host of planners, advocates and professionals to discuss the future of preservation in the city. Is preservation included in the Mayor's plan for the future of NewYork? How can we make sure that preservation principles are incorporated into efforts to accommodate an additional one million people over then next two decades?

A distinguished group of preservationists, planners, elected officials, government agency representatives, architects and educators from across NewYork City's five boroughs will address these issues. These panelists are all intimately invested in the development and land use concerns of their communities and will dissect PlaNYC and it's implications for our city's future. The Conference will consist of three panel discussions: "Surviving the Building Boom: Urban Neighborhoods of the Future," "Building it Out: Suburban Neighborhoods of the Future" and "Tools of the Trade: Preservation Practices for the Next Generation." The Conference weekend will also feature an Opening Night Reception at Federal Hall and a selection of Walking Tours throughout the city.

Register for the conference by clicking here.

WITHDRAWN: AIA Zoning Amendments

WITHDRAWN! Proposed AIA Zoning Text Amendments

Retreating from a torrent of public criticism, the American Institute of Architects NY Chapter has contacted the City Planning Commission and formally withdrawn its application for major changes to the New York Zoning Resolution. These changes, introduced quietly and seemingly without concern for public input in Fall 2007, would have significantly impacted the character of our city's neighborhoods and undermined decades of community-led efforts to ensure balanced, contextual development.

In January 2008, LANDMARK WEST! and the Historic Districts Council co-sponsored a well-attended open forum that rallied community groups from across the city to learn about the proposed zoning changes. Thanks and congratulations to everyone who participated, wrote, called, emailed and did what needed to get done. Together, we got our message across, loud and clear! And BIG THANKS go to Council Member Tony Avella, Chair of the City Council Zoning & Franchises Committee, who held the line for New York's communities. Council Member Avella will hold a press conference on Friday, February 22, at 1:00 PM. The location is 38-50 Bell Boulevard in Bayside,Queens. Please plan to attend if possible!

To follow and join in the ongoing discussion on this issue, visit http://www.brownstoner.com/brownstoner/archives/2008/02/aia_kills_drive.php.

Read the AIA's letter to the City Planning Commission:

19 February 2008
Hon. Amanda M. Burden, Chair
City Planning Commission
22 Reade Street
New York, New York 10007-1216
re: AIA New York Zoning Text Amendments

Dear Chair Burden,

The New York Chapter of the American Institute of Architects, representing 4,200 architect and professional affiliate members, along with the Zoning Task Force it helped to convene, hereby withdraw from formal consideration the seven Zoning Text Amendments that were scheduled to be considered by the City Planning Commission later this month. We do so at the specific suggestion of City Planning Department staff, to allow for more time for public discussion of the portions of the Zoning Resolution which limit the ability of architects to create good design.

The aspiration of the American Institute of Architects, New York Chapter and the other organizations and associations who participated in the development of the proposed Zoning Text Amendments was an improved cityscape, a goal that has been a driving force for your efforts at City Planning. We regret that these suggestions will not come to public hearing at the Commission or at City Council, but strongly urge that efforts go forward to identify and correct inconsistencies and deficiencies in the Zoning Resolution.

We pledge to continue our efforts to create livable and sustainable communities through process change along with revisions to the Building Code and Zoning Resolution.

Sincerely,
Joan Blumenfeld, FAIA, IIDA
2007 President, AIA New York

James McCullar, FAIA
2008 President, AIA New York
cc: Larry Parnes, CPD; Mark Ginsberg, FAIA; Rick Bell, FAIA; Laura Manville

Environmental Project: Urban Forests in our Midst

IN YOUR BACKYARD!

Urban Forests in our Midst!

Are you aware that there are roughly 115 acres of privately-owned open space on the Upper West Side alone? Have you ever thought about the unrecognized environmental benefits these areas convey to the City?

Whether we rent or own, have a backyard or a small placemat-sized patch of green, or live in an apartment, we are reaping the benefits of open spaces that are hidden behind Upper West Side rowhouses. What would the difference in our air quality be if these backyards suddenly disappeared? Would it be hotter in the summer? Would our water quality be worse during heavy rains?

LANDMARK WEST! has received challenge grants to help us reach our goal of$185,000 to support our innovative environmental study, Urban Forests in ourMidst: The Environmental Benefits in Adjoining Backyards in Brownstone Blocks¸ which we are undertaking in partnership with The CUNY Institute for Sustainable Cities and NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies. We need you to make this innovative study a reality.

This study will quantify the extent to which these open spaces:
* Alleviate the urban heat island effect thereby potentially reducing air conditioning use and energy consumption;
* Remove air pollution thereby improving air quality; and
* Reduce stormwater runoff that overwhelms New York City's water treatment infrastructure during heavy rains.

This is a real opportunity to positively affect your neighborhood, and indeed the City as a whole.

Please see our website http://www.landmarkwest.org/green/greeninitiatives.htm for the full project proposal.

Donations, large and small would be much appreciated! Send us a check to support this project to: LANDMARK WEST! 45 West 67th Street, New York, NY 10023-or call the office to contribute via credit card. Let us know what you think!

Call Evan Mason at 212 496-8110.

Congregation Shearith Israel: New Info for Tuesday's Important Public Hearing

**New Information** for Congregation Shearith Israel Hearing at NYC Board of Standards and Appeals

DATE: Tuesday, February 12, 2008

TIME: Approximately 2:30 PM (this is an estimate based on where this item is on the hearing agenda)

PLACE: Board of Standards and Appeals, 40 Rector Street, 6th Floor (take #1 subway to Rector Street, walk west)

On Tuesday, the NYC Board of Standards and Appeals will take yet another look at Congregation Shearith Israel's (CSI's) application for 7 zoning variances to build a 105'-tall building stacking 5 floors of luxury condos on top of a new community house on the brownstone midblock of West 70th Street. At stake is nothing less than the purpose and integrity of the laws that protect our communities against insensitive and out-of-scale development.

Woody Allen had it right. 80% of success is showing up. YOU can help win a key battle, one with major ramifications for the entire city. Just by showing up.

This public hearing is open to all, and anyone may speak (even if you already spoke at the last hearing on November 27). We know mid-day hearings aren't easy, and we wouldn't ask if your presence weren't vitally important. Showing up means just as much as speaking up, so please make every effort to attend even if you don't plan to testify! Help hold the line against overdevelopment - in our neighborhood, in every neighborhood, in all five boroughs. All of you fighting for sensible zoning in your communities know that CSI's application is just the beginning of the story. Don't let this domino fall!

..................................NEWSFLASH!!..............................................

Our case in defense of brownstone-scale blocks grows stronger and stronger. Architect Craig Morrison, AIA, and real-estate appraiser Martin Levine of Metropolitan Valuation Services, Inc., joined our team of experts who confirm that CSI's variance request should be denied. Morrison reviewed CSI's plans and concluded that an as-of-right building (with no variances)" can without question amply satisfy all of the programmatic and accessibility needs asserted by the Congregation in a reasonable and acceptable way and with space to spare." Levine strongly disagrees with CSI's contention that variances are needed in order to "monetize" the site's development potential. His independent analysis shows that "Development of the unused portion of the Congregation Shearith Israel Site with either a mixed-use or all residential 'as of right' building is in fact economically feasible, providing sufficient entrepreneurial profit to any potential investor/developer." Copies of their reports and other opposition materials submitted to BSA on January 28, 2008, please visit www.protectwest70.org.

Both Morrison and Levine will testify at Tuesday's hearing. Please be there to show your support!

Looking Ahead: Preservation in 2030

What will it take to protect the past for the future?

Preservation Vision: NYC is a year-long initiative to engage those interested in preservation in a conversation about their aspirations for preservation in New York City in the year 2030 and the actions needed to make those hopes a reality.

As part of the first phase of the project, a unique, online survey has been launched to gather feedback, ideas and opinions from New Yorkers interested in the future of historic preservation in the city. This online survey provides the best opportunity for all stakeholders to participate; interested citizens, those working directly in historic preservation, and those working in all allied fields (planning, housing, community development, the environment, etc.)

Go to www.preservationvision-nyc.org to learn more and take the survey.

Become a part of this historic effort by providing your most candid and considered observations about the effectiveness and potential of historic preservation in New York City.

This project is the initiative of a group of New York City charitable funders with a long-standing interest in the preservation sector and is managed by the non-profit organization, Minerva Partners. Preservation Vision is funded in part by generous gifts from The New York Community Trust, New York State Council on the Arts, the Robert Sterling Clark Foundation, The Gerry Charitable Trust, The National Trust for Historic Preservation, The 42nd Street Fund and the Rockefeller Brothers Fund.

PLEASE SPREAD THE WORD!

Questions regarding Preservation Vision: NYC should be sent to ksechler@minervapartners.org; ksechler@minervapartners.org.

IMPORTANT PUBLIC HEARING: Congregation Shearith Israel Back at BSA

Congregation Shearith Israel: Round 2 at NYC Board of Standards and Appeals

Woody Allen had it right. 80% of success is showing up. Next week, YOU can help us get one step closer to success in a key battle, one with major ramifications for the entire city. Just by showing up.

On Tuesday, February 12 (in the afternoon, exact time tba), the NYC Board of Standards and Appeals will take yet another look at Congregation Shearith Israel's (CSI's) application for 7 zoning variances to build a 105'-tall building stacking 5 floors of luxury condos on top of a new community house on the brownstone midblock of West 70th Street. At stake is nothing less than the purpose and integrity of the laws that protect our communities against insensitive and out-of-scale development.

This public hearing is open to all, and anyone may speak (even if you already spoke at the last hearing on November 27). We know mid-day hearing saren't easy, and we wouldn't ask if your presence weren't vitally important.Showing up means just as much as speaking up, so please make every effort to attend even if you don't plan to testify! Help hold the line against overdevelopment - in our neighborhood, in every neighborhood, in all five boroughs. All of you fighting for sensible zoning in your communities know that CSI's application is just the beginning of the story. Don't let this domino fall!

..................................NEWSFLASH!!..............................................

Our case in defense of brownstone-scale blocks grows stronger and stronger. Architect Craig Morrison, AIA, and real-estate appraiser Martin Levine ofMetropolitan Valuation Services, Inc., joined our team of experts who confirm that CSI's variance request should be denied. Morrison reviewed CSI's plans and concluded that an as-of-right building (with no variances) "can without question amply satisfy all of the programmatic and accessibility needs asserted by the Congregation in a reasonable and acceptable way and with space to spare." Levine strongly disagrees with CSI's contention that variances are needed in order to "monetize" the site's development potential. His independent analysis shows that "Development of the unused portion of the Congregation Shearith Israel Site with either a mixed-use or all residential 'as of right' building is in fact economically feasible, providing sufficient entrepreneurial profit to any potential investor/developer." Copies of their reports and other opposition materials submitted to BSA on January 28, 2008, please visit www.protectwest70.org.

Both Morrison and Levine will testify at next Tuesday's hearing. Please bethere to show your support!

*New* West-Park Presbyterian Church Update

Council Member Gale Brewer has just called to inform us that tonight's 7:00PM meeting regarding Upper West Side development plans is "private."

To show your support for preserving West-Park Presbyterian, write to CM Brewer today!

Hon. Gale A. Brewer
New York City Council Member
563 Columbus Avenue, NYC 10024
Email: gale.brewer@council.nyc.ny.us
Tel.: 212 873 0282 Fax: 212-873-0279