LPC Approves Rear Addition and Legalizes Front Belgian‑block Paving at Clinton Hill House

The Landmarks Preservation Commission approved a two‑story rear‑yard addition and legalized existing Belgian‑block paving in the front area way at 300 Lafayette Avenue, a c.1873 Italianate house in the Clinton Hill Historic District, during its May 13, 2025 public meeting.

The approval allows the owner to remove an existing nonhistoric upper enclosed balcony and 1‑story rear extension and construct a new two‑story addition at the basement and parlor levels, and it legalizes Belgian‑block (granite) paving that was installed without LPC permits. The motion passed with nine votes in favor and one abstention.

The commission’s preservation director, Corey Hiala, presented the application as LPC 25‑05785, noting the building’s Italianate style and that the paving and proposed rear addition had been read into the record on May 6 but not presented. Applicant representative Larissa Jimenez described the work as mainly interior renovations and removal of existing rear extensions, with a new two‑story addition at the basement and first‑floor levels and roof terrace above. She said the applicants would like to retain the existing area‑way paving and supplied photographs from 2012, 2016, 2017 and a current photo to document the material’s presence and context.

The commission’s discussion centered on two main issues: the depth of the proposed rear addition (the project was about 13 feet 4 inches deep and projected roughly 1.5–2½ feet beyond the adjacent neighbor’s extension, which is about 11 feet deep) and whether to legalize the unpermitted Belgian‑block paving in the front area way. Commissioners noted other rear‑yard additions on the block, including several two‑story additions, and weighed visual context and rear‑yard depth against the applicant’s programmatic needs. The applicant said the extra depth allowed the proposed floor plans to function, including bedrooms in the basement level and a garden apartment configuration.

Brooklyn Community Board 2 submitted a recommendation for approval conditioned on reducing the rear‑yard extension in height to one story and aligning its depth with the neighboring property at 298 Lafayette. Citizens for Responsible Neighborhood Planning of Clinton Hill and Fort Greene and the Society for Clinton Hill recommended denial as presented and asked that the addition be aligned with immediate neighbors and that windows be reconfigured to match the upper floors. The applicant responded that they had revised the basement‑level window/door configuration to better match the first floor and expressed reluctance to eliminate the second story because it is needed for the proposed two‑family layout.

Hiala recommended approval, finding that the granite block pavers are a historic paving material in the area way context, are partially screened, and would be subordinate in the streetscape; and that the rear addition would not be visible from public thoroughfares and would respect the building’s scale and other rear yard additions on the block. The commission approved the application; the roll call recorded nine ayes and one abstention.

The approval includes requirements to coordinate final details with staff so that new windows, roof‑deck railings and material finishes are compatible with the designation and the surrounding context.

For residents: the approved addition still leaves a substantial rear yard (applicants said the lot depth is about 35 feet and the deck will intrude into that space). Questions about construction timing, permits and contractor selection remain to be resolved by the owner and DOB permits.

Sources: LPC presentation and applicant materials; public testimony and commission deliberations at the May 13, 2025 LPC meeting.