Crains New York - February 4, 2013 - (Page 10)

OPINION Landmarks’ historic overkill S ince its founding in 1965, the Landmarks Preservation Commission has been designating sections of the city “historic” to protect them from wanton demolition or character-destroying renovation. After nearly 50 years, one might expect the commission to have just about finished. But if anything, it is picking up the pace. It’s up to 108 historic districts, with another six pending. More than a few people in real estate—the ones with the cost and hassle of maintaining properties under the commission’s magnifying glass—believe the agency is getting carried away. Some suggest it keeps targeting new areas because, well, that is the job of its research department, and so the staff drones on. If it ropes in some buildings that are not classic, attractive or even old (30 is the minimum age), no matter. Historic or cultural importance—which can be subjective, to say the least—can be cited to justify their designation. Landmarking on steroids is bad for property owners, bad for business and bad for New York. The commission needs to be more cautious about designating new districts, especially in commercial areas. Business districts certainly benefit from distinguished and timeless architecture, but what makes them successful is mass transit and a concentration of talent. Excessive landmarking precludes them from changing with the marketplace. It also renders maintenance expensive, as anyone who has been forced by the commission to hire an CRAIN’S ONLINE POLL architect for a basic task like redoing mortar joints knows. The commission defends its expansionism by saying property values have risen faster in historic districts. But there are other reasons for that: Those locales are often nicer to begin with, and tend to attract homeowners who keep their properties in top condition. Extending historic status to marginal places won’t necessarily enhance property values; it could even discourage owners from doing repairs because of the cost of satisfying the persnickety commission, where one can’t shake a stick without hitting half a dozen master’s degrees in historic preservation. Critics of landmark overkill have grumbled for years but are afraid to antagonize the commission that wields so much power over their properties. In recent months, they have begun to make more of an effort to get the Bloomberg administration’s attention. But the mayor’s people have many other things to do before a successor takes office in 11 months. An overhaul of landmarking procedures appears to be very low on the priority list. Indeed, a City Hall spokeswoman says nothing is in the works. There should be. A preservation agency seems to be getting carried away COMMENTS Miscast on midtown ART SOCIETY ENDORSES NEW AND OLD TOGETHER SHOULD ANTHONY WEINER RUN FOR CITY COMPTROLLER AGAINST SCOTT STRINGER? Yes. He’s got campaign cash and name recognition. New Yorkers forgive him. No. He disgraced himself. Let’s forget him and move on. Date of poll: Jan. 29 349 votes 18% Yes 82% No FOR THIS WEEK’S QUESTIONS: Go to www.crainsnewyork.com/poll to have your say. 10 | Crain’s New York Business | February 4, 2013 Greg David’s column on the proposed redevelopment of midtown east, “Midtown holds key to city’s future” ( Jan. 28), failed to capture the Municipal Art Society’s perspective on the midtown rezoning effort. Furthermore, the piece reinforced the false choice between careful planning/ preservation and new development. We do not, contrary to the assertion in Mr. David’s column, “seek to freeze the look of the neighborhood.” In fact, at our recent MAS Summit for NYC, we invited three distinguished design firms— Foster + Partners, SOM and WXY—to present their ideas on what the next century holds for midtown. The proposals are imaginative, ambitious and thought-provoking. Midtown has always been a place of change, but as we think about its future we need to continue to insist on the values that make New York City so successful—open spaces and streets full of energy and vitality, a transportation network that works efficiently and is occasionally inspiring (see Grand Central Terminal), and great new buildings alongside important and beautiful historic ones. For the record, the Municipal Art Society submitted landmark requests for 17 buildings—a small percentage of the 587 in the city’s study area. We applaud the Department of City Planning for contributing to this conversation, and we will continue to be direct about our ideas. —vin cipolla President Municipal Art Society SIXTH AVENUE’S STRENGTHS Re Crain’s article “Sixth Avenue Vacancies Near 20Year High” ( Jan. 21): Sixth Avenue and the premier commercial and retail frontage space it offers to commercial tenants remains one of the best values in midtown. There are numerous class-A buildings with access to nearly every subway line, as well as landmarks like Rockefeller Center and premier hotels for world-class entertaining and dining. To assume that Sixth Avenue has lost its appeal is to overlook its high number of prominent tenants, including Bank of America, UBS, NBC, News Corp. and others that have strong commitments to the area. We’ll take the long-term view and bet smart tenants will pay significant attention to the opportunities that Sixth Avenue offers. —sarah s. berman Executive director Avenue of the Americas Association CRAIN’S WELCOMES SUBMISSIONS to its opinion pages. Send letters to letters@crainsnewyork.com. Send columns of 475 words or fewer to opinion@crainsnewyork.com. Please include the writer’s name, company, address and telephone number. CRAIN’S NEW YORK BUSINESS editor in chief Rance Crain publisher, vp Jill R. Kaplan EDITORIAL editor Glenn Coleman managing editor Jeremy Smerd deputy managing editors Valerie Block, Erik Ipsen assistant managing editor Erik Engquist senior producer, news Elisabeth Butler Cordova news producer Amanda Fung contributing editor Elaine Pofeldt columnists Greg David, Alair Townsend crain’s health pulse editor Barbara Benson senior reporters Theresa Agovino, Aaron Elstein, Lisa Fickenscher, Matthew Flamm reporters Chris Bragg, Matt Chaban, Daniel Geiger, Andrew J. 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All rights reserved. ®CityBusiness is a registered trademark of MCP Inc., used under license agreement. CRAIN COMMUNICATIONS INC. BOARD OF DIRECTORS chairman Keith E. Crain president Rance Crain treasurer Mary Kay Crain Cindi Crain executive vp, operations William Morrow senior vp, group publisher Gloria Scoby group vp, technology, circulation, manufacturing Robert C. Adams vp/production, manufacturing David Kamis chief information officer Paul Dalpiaz founder G.D. Crain Jr. (1885-1973) chairman Mrs. G.D. Crain Jr. (1911-1996) secretary Merrilee Crain (1942-2012) http://www.crainsnewyork.com/subscribe http://www.crainsnewyork.com/advertise http://www.crainsnewyork.com/events http://www.crainsnewyork.com/poll

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Crains New York - February 4, 2013

THE INSIDER
ALAIR TOWNSEND
IN THE BOROUGHS
IN THE MARKETS
BUSINESS PEOPLE
OPINION
GREG DAVID
DIGITAL NY
SMALL BUSINESS
REPORT: HEALTH CARE
THE LIST
CLASSIFIEDS
REAL ESTATE DEALS
SOURCE LUNCH
OUT AND ABOUT
SNAPS

Crains New York - February 4, 2013