Stopping Development to Protect a View

15 September 2010 - 1:00pm

A cemetery on a high hill in Brooklyn is hoping to convince the city of the importance of its views -- a move that could have a big impact on future large developments in the area.

"In an effort to preserve its extraordinary views of New York Harbor, Green-Wood Cemetery, the 478-acre site that holds the highest point in Brooklyn, has hired lawyers to draft a document that aims to prevent new buildings from blocking the vista. Their plan is due before the City Council this fall, and, if passed, would potentially put the brakes on dense new development in contested areas of Brooklyn including the Red Hook waterfront and Sunset Park."

Cemetery officials are hoping that a view of the Statue of Liberty will be considered significant enough to protect, a preservation move that could limit high-rise development in a large part of the borough.

Source: The Architect's Newspaper, September 15, 2010
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If hundreds of people in your community raised reasonable concerns about a planning program you developed, how would you respond? Perhaps you might call a community meeting, or ask community elected officials to reach out to community leaders.