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Testimony of
State Senator Liz Krueger Before the
Landmarks Preservation Commission Regarding 823
Park Avenue October 26th,
2004 Good
afternoon. My name is Liz Krueger,
and I am the State Senator for New York’s twenty-sixth Senatorial District,
one primarily comprising parts of Manhattan’s Midtown and East Side. I would like to thank the Landmarks
Preservation Commission for affording me the opportunity to speak at today’s
proceeding. The Upper East
Side Historic District has remained an island of heritage and grace in a sea
of modernity and change. Much of the
area’s built environment is unique and distinguished because the vintage
architectural styles and quaint streetscapes grow in scarcity and value as
too many of their kind around Manhattan give way to luxury high-rises and
renovations that are less about restoration and more about remuneration. Furthermore, because the character of the
Upper East Side Historic District has been prudently preserved by the
Landmarks Commission and accordingly saved from the encroachment of
encumbering development, the neighborhood endures as a particularly
hospitable place for its residents. Given the
significance and distinctiveness of the area, I ask that the Commission deny
the application of 823 Park Avenue’s owner to construct a roughly twenty-foot
by twenty-foot twelve-story addition to the building in the rear yard. The pictures and model of the proposed
addition indicate that not only will it add bulk to the building in the rear,
but that the massing of the proposed addition will irrevocably alter the
light and air exposure currently enjoyed by 823 Park Avenue’s neighbors. While the addition would be legally
permissible given that it would fall within 100 feet of Park Avenue and would
not violate any lot-coverage regulations, this is a proposal that failed to
garner Community Board support and has inspired fervent protests among a
large number of neighbors. In short,
the rear-yard addition would erode the quality of life in the neighborhood
too sharply and betray the feelings of far too many of the neighbors. I do not think it unreasonable to ask that
the Commission heed these community concerns. I also fear
that were the Commission to approve this request, it would set a dangerous
precedent for the Upper East Side Historic District. How many other property owners would cite
the Commission’s acquiescence in this matter as tacit if not explicit
approval of similar measures? Not
long from now, the Upper East Side could be exclusively filled with
avenue-lining buildings fully built out to the property line, altering the
quality of life for a great number of citizens in an intrusive and permanent
fashion. The Commission should not
allow for this possibility. Thank you for
the opportunity to speak today and for taking the time to listen. |
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