Big Turnout for Preservation Lobby Day
Over 75 people joined together on the steps of City Hall for the Third Annual Preservation Lobby Day. People representing groups and communities from all five boroughs gathered, along with Council Members Tony Avella, Bill De Blasio and Jessica Lappin, to request that the City do more to save its historic neighborhoods and continue to support the work of the Landmarks Preservation Commission.
Here’s from HDC’s press release:
The over 100 groups are presenting a Citywide Preservation Platform which details five planks to enhance preservation efforts in New York City:
Preserving and re-using buildings and building materials saves money, energy, the environment, boosts local economies and should be incorporated into the city’s planning process.
Protecting a neighborhood’s character is vital to its long-term viability.
New York City must support efforts to expand State and Federal historic preservation tax credit programs, and strengthen local incentives.
Historic religious buildings are the anchors of many communities, and the city must work to support and preserve them.
Resources for the Landmarks Preservation Commission must be supported and enhanced in order to better aid preservation efforts.
HDC’s Executive Director Simeon Bankoff remarked: “Enhancing preservation activities is crucial to maintaining New York City’s long-term health. Our city’s historic buildings and neighborhoods are what draw people to come to New York and to stay here; without them this city is an empty shell. Particularly during this time of economic crisis, the City must make preserving what we already have a priority. The important work of the Landmarks Preservation Commission must be supported and enhanced but municipal preservation efforts must reach beyond the LPC into other agencies and tactics. Only three percent of New York City is landmarked but much more needs to be saved.”