Tom Stoelker summarizes the tenor of a flurry of bills introduced this week at a City Council hearing that seek to revamp the way business gets done at the Landmarks Preservation Commission.
Eleven bills in all were introduced that take aim at significantly changing the procedures of the Commission, which when taken together, "will effectively hollow out the Landmarks Law from the inside out," testified Preservationist Theodore Grunewald.
At the heart of the showdown is the adversarial relationship between developers and preservationists, specifically around the perceived economic benefits of preservation versus redevelopment, as they gird for a fight over Midtown upzoning and Park Avenue.
And it's one particular bill that has preservationists up in arms. "According to Intro Bill Number 846, new guidelines would require City Planning to review Landmark Commission designations in economic terms to 'analyze the impact of the designation' and 'specifically consider the relationship between the development potential of all properties affected by the designation, both public and private.' The bill would provide City Council a rationale by which to deny landmark designations by pitting long-term planning goals against individual or district landmarking," writes Stoelker.
FULL STORY: Battle Landmarkia

Maui's Vacation Rental Debate Turns Ugly
Verbal attacks, misinformation campaigns and fistfights plague a high-stakes debate to convert thousands of vacation rentals into long-term housing.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

Chicago’s Ghost Rails
Just beneath the surface of the modern city lie the remnants of its expansive early 20th-century streetcar system.

Bend, Oregon Zoning Reforms Prioritize Small-Scale Housing
The city altered its zoning code to allow multi-family housing and eliminated parking mandates citywide.

Amtrak Cutting Jobs, Funding to High-Speed Rail
The agency plans to cut 10 percent of its workforce and has confirmed it will not fund new high-speed rail projects.

LA Denies Basic Services to Unhoused Residents
The city has repeatedly failed to respond to requests for trash pickup at encampment sites, and eliminated a program that provided mobile showers and toilets.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
planning NEXT
Appalachian Highlands Housing Partners
Mpact (founded as Rail~Volution)
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
City of Portland
City of Laramie