To see other Media coverage, read West Side Rag and DNAinfo
Preserving the best of the Upper West Side's neighborhood character and architectural heritage.
Wednesday, June 24, 2015
Riverside-West End Historic District Map Available!
To see other Media coverage, read West Side Rag and DNAinfo
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
1 comment:
Thanks for the revised map. Am I correct that ALL buildings fronting on Broadway are excluded? The 1903 Marseilles? The 1871 Grimm building, the wood-frame saloon on 100th St., where Julian Beck and Judith Malina founded the Living Theater upstairs?
What steps are possible with the City Council? I was at the vote last week, and was very unpersuaded at LPC counsel's explanation of why this modification does not constitute an amendment to the plan, requiring hearings and public comment.
An argument that might resonate with the City Council is that this change has effectively deleted the lower-income residences and mom-and-pop stores from cultural protection, while privileging the wealthy homes on WEA, RSD, and the cross streets. (I write as a coop owner on RSD, if that matters.) This means LPC has become an engine of exactly the destructive market forces that City Council (especially Mark-Vivertio and Brewer) are struggling to prevent.
Historic District status was our best chance to stem the tide of destruction on Broadway (Extel Corp. monstrosities, etc.). The fact that not even the Grimm Building and the Marseilles were seen as worthy of protection exposes the blatant corruptness of the maneuver.
At the vote, I got the STRONG impression that not one of the Commissioners had been given time to consider or review the changes to the plan.
I also got the strong impression that the proposal was in response to private, off-the-record lobbying by big, powerful developers, who do not want to see Broadway protected. The timing was too carefully planned to be accidental. So: no public hearing, no public comment, but private conversations with selected and privileged powers.
I would like information on whom to write to at the City Council - I assume De Blasio, Brewer, Mark-Viverito, Rosenthal, Levine, Stringer, and all the LPC commissioners? Maybe also Letitia James? I would like to sign any public letters LW! or HDC or other groups may be drafting.
I also have a question: one commissioner floated the idea of "studying a plan for Broadway." While this was clearly lip-service, and not likely to go anywhere (since not even 10 blocks on one side of Broadway can get anywhere). But I would like to know his name, as it may be possible for citizens to begin to insist on such a project.
Also, is this an initiative NYC might pursue?
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-06-25/saving-san-francisco-s-landmark-businesses
Yours,
Eve Sinaiko
Post a Comment