Saturday, June 30, 2007

LPC surveys Queens

The city Landmarks Preservation Commission surveyed 15,138 mostly residential buildings between September 2006 and March 2007 as part of an occasional review, commission spokeswoman Elisabeth de Bourbon said. The vast majority of the buildings - 12,423 - are in Queens.

Queens to be assessed for future historic areas

There were 3,750 buildings listed throughout Bayside, Whitestone and Beechhurst; 2,320 in College Point; 2,300 in Broadway-Flushing; 3,180 in downtown Flushing; 517 in Addisleigh Park, a small section of St. Albans; 304 in Ridgewood; and 52 in downtown Jamaica...

Looks like western, central and southern Queens are redlined for overdevelopment and the LPC wants to preserve wealthy neighborhoods and throw a bone to those in the process of massive upzoning and gentrification.

Perhaps it's time to overturn the blatantly discriminatory landmarks law so that all residents of NYC get to experience the city planning hell that most of us do. For if a law does not protect all people equally, then it needs to be repealed.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

An LPC "survey" doesn't mean they're even going to designate anything in those "wealthy" neighborhoods either !

Anonymous said...

We were in western Queens and active in preservation. Heard about this survey from hints here and there, but as usual in preservation circles, the point is NOT to work together, but only those with CERTAIN INTANGIBLES can cross the bar.

Sort of like invites to a dinner party with the old guard ... a polity that is nice if you are DAR or the like, but rather dangerous given the current climate of seething resentment against the outright discrimination against working class people in the preservation movement.

Very dangerous indeed.

Anonymous said...

Not only dangerous, but stupid. They are giving the growing list of advocates on overturning the landmarks law yet another piece of evidence on a silver platter with this one.

Anonymous said...

Gee, where is the 4 borros when this was going on? HDC? Queens Civic Congress? That history group in boro hall?

Had such contempt for the general public no one could share this little secret? Make a general announcement? Even if everyone knew what was going on after certain people spilled the little secret?

Yet another example, indeed, a stellar example, of the kiddie playground clique mentality that defines the preservation movement.

Well as things get bigger and bigger some new kids notice the ‘fun’ and want to play ball too. Older kids from another part of town. Tough kids from a rough neighborhood. Hell, they are nearly adults.

The rules on the playground are about to change.

Anonymous said...

True....LPC publishing a list of landmark worthy sites is just going to give developers a bunch of highly visible targets for them to draw a bead on !

They should be calendering these sites to giving them landmark status during the interim if LPC was genuine in their intent !

This is just another placebo quickly dispensed to the desperate Queens historic preservation community !

You may now sleep soundly.... all you historical societies.... and don't forget your dose of LPC snake oil before you retire to bed !

Anonymous said...

Does LPC really stand for Lazy Partners in Crime ?

They've surely been avid accomplices in the destruction of many landmark worthy sites in Queens by denying us their holy graces of designation !!!