Today, the Landmarks Preservation Commission designated the Prospect Heights Historic District. At 850 buildings, it is the largest historic district designated in two decades.

“MAS applauds the Landmarks Preservation Commission for moving to protect this very special neighborhood,” said Lisa Kersavage, senior director of advocacy and policy for the Municipal Art Society. “This is an important act that will protect one of Brooklyn’s finest and well-preserved historic neighborhoods. Designation will protect the neighborhood from pressure from the Atlantic Yards project and other developments.”

Prospect Heights is rich in historic architecture, with blocks of beautiful Italianate and neo-Grec rowhouses, interspersed with churches, small commercial and apartment buildings. Continue Reading>>

The White House Office of Urban Affairs offers hope of a new direction in federal urban policy, including that for transportation. Public transportation is critical to a sustainable future for our city and the metropolitan region, essential to integrating housing, economic development, and environmental practices and policies.

What is the Obama administration doing that will help or hinder the development of the transportation system we need? How can local stakeholders ensure that the smartest investments receive federal support? An outstanding panel will answer these and other questions next Wednesday as New Yorkers face fare hikes and service cuts.

Investing in Infrastructure: Transportation and New York’s Future
Wednesday, May 6, 6:30 – 8:00 p.m., at the Municipal Art Society MAP
Reception to follow.
Moderator: Kate Slevin, director, Tri-State Transportation Campaign.
Panelists: Susan Bass Levin, deputy executive director, Port Authority of New York and New Jersey; Linda Bailey, federal programs advisor, New York City Department of Transportation; Jeffrey Zupan, senior fellow, transportation, Regional Plan Association; Martin Robins, founding director, Alan M. Voorhees Transportation Center, Rutgers University.
$15, $10 MAS members. Purchase tickets online or call 212 935 2075.

The Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) had a full day yesterday in which it first ruled on the St. Vincent’s hardship case, then focused its attention on increasing the number of designated landmarks in the City. As a result, New York City now has two new individual landmarks — St. Stephen’s Roman Catholic Church on East 28th Street in Murray Hill, and the Devoe Paint Factory, 110 Horatio Street, in the Far West Village.

As announced on this site on Monday, the Commission also held a public hearing on the proposed Prospect Heights Historic District, a district in the shadows of the Atlantic Yards Development and widely supported by the neighborhood. Continue Reading>>

Now is your chance to tell the Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) that you support the designation of the Prospect Heights Historic District. The LPC will hold a public hearing on Tuesday, October 28, 1:30 – 3:30 p.m. at the Municipal Building. This hearing is the second step in protecting one of Brooklyn’s finest – and most endangered – historic neighborhoods.

Prospect Heights is threatened by the Atlantic Yards project, a proposal by the developer Forest City Ratner to build 16 towers and a sports arena on a 22-acre site that abuts the boundaries of the proposed historic district.

Encompassing roughly 870 properties, the proposed Prospect Heights Historic District is rich in historic architecture, with blocks of beautiful Italianate and neo-Grec rowhouses, interspersed with churches, small commercial and apartment buildings. Located just north of Prospect Park, the neighborhood has seen few changes since it was first developed in the late-19th Century. Click here to read more about the history.

MAS has worked in partnership with the Prospect Heights Neighborhood Development Corporation (PHNDC) in advocating for the designation of this neighborhood since 2006 Continue Reading>>

The Atlantic Yards development has been delayed again after a state appellate court did not dismiss the project opponents’ court challenge, says the New York Times.  While this derails Atlantic Yards developer Forest City Ratner’s recent pledge to break ground on the project this December, Crain’s New York Business reports that Barclays bank, which would pay for naming rights to the stadium, remains committed to the project when it proceeds.  Read more about MAS advocacy on Atlantic Yards here

In other news, the new timetable for the World Trade Center site will be released by the Port Authority tomorrow – major delays are expected. Continue Reading>>

The September 22 program Inside View: MAS Work in Progress gave a roomful of New Yorkers a behind-the-scenes look at MAS projects and programs, as well as an opportunity to ask questions and make comments. Jasper Goldman, senior policy analyst, discussed developments in Coney Island and Atlantic Yards and offered an update on the East Side Waterfront Park (the latter accompanied by a film on the park’s design charrette which vividly illustrated the planning process).

Eve Baron, Juan Camilo Osorio, Sideya Sherman, and Lacey Tauber of the MAS Planning Center, described several programs and projects, including The Livable Neighborhoods Program, CITI Youth Initiative and the Atlas of Community-Based Plans.

Judging by the program evaluations, the audience found the evening informative and worthwhile: “Great suggestions were offered to get involved in planning and to become a more informed urbanist” and “Excellent overview of MAS projects and function with good visual support. Have them more often!”

The next Inside View will be held next spring. Stay tuned.

New laws proposing to reform the State’s use of eminent domain may gain momentum should the Democrats achieve a majority in the Senate this fall, says the New York Sun. Eminent domain is a centerpiece of three very large development projects in New York City – Atlantic Yards in Brooklyn, Willets Point in Queens, and Manhattanville in Manhattan.  MAS has testified on each of these developments, calling for an inclusive planning process in which the priorities of local residents and business owners are sought and considered.

Controversies among these projects are numerous. The New York Times interviewed the remaining business owners in Manhattanville, the site of Columbia University’s proposed expansion, on the detrimental effects the threat of eminent domain has had on their livelihood. The New York Daily News reports that the NYC Economic Development Corporation is increasing its outreach to City Council members on the proposed Willets Point rezoning, as a majority of the Council has already publicly opposed the project.

In other news, Chelsea Now reports from the first community hearing on the recently released scoping for the Hudson Yards development. Continue Reading>>

MAS will host “Coney Island at the Crossroads” tonight, a panel discussion featuring MAS president Kent Barwick, the NYC Department of City Planning, the Coney Island Development Corporation; Carol Hill Albert,  owner of Astroland; Dick Zigun, director of Coney Island USA, and Sheryl Robertson, director of South Brooklyn Youth Consortium.  Jonathan Bowles, director of the Center for an Urban Future will moderate. Check out details of the program on Gownus Lounge.  Read more about MAS’ Coney Island Advocacy here

The Landmarks Preservation Commission designated five new landmarks yesterday, says the New York Times; MAS testified before the Commission in support of the proposed Alice and Agate Courts Historic District in Bedford-Stuyvesant

In other news, Develop Don’t Destroy Brooklyn is bringing their last appeal to stop the Atlantic Yards project Continue Reading>>

MAS was one of many civic groups to lead visioning processes on rebuilding Ground Zero after the 9/11 attacks reports today’s the Gotham Gazette. Now, on the seventh anniversary, progress at the site is slow and more delays are expected, and Mayor Bloomberg has called for the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation to dismantle and hand over their responsibilities to the city according to the Wall Street Journal.

NewPennStation.org covers the news that Governor Paterson has announced his intentions to move forward with linking up transit lines that may join at Moynihan Station, as does Crain’s New York Business.

In other news, Newsday reports that Mayor Bloomberg feels Coney Island is significant for the public good not just for private land values. Continue Reading>>

Long a subject of MAS advocacy because of its historic and irreplaceable character, the graving dock in Red Hook, Brooklyn, is now a parking lot for the new IKEA store. In MAS comments on impacts of the loss of a graving dock in Red Hook, Brooklyn to a parking lot for IKEA, in Bric Online MAS comments on the impact of this loss on City.

In other news, MAS recently endorsed a study published by Transportation Alternatives on the City’s off-street parking policies. Click here and here for details. ! Continue Reading>>