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Landmarks Commission seeks steady budget as committee presses on vacancies and demolition-by-neglect
Summary
The Landmarks Preservation Commission told the Council it will continue designations and permitting work on an $8.15 million FY27 preliminary budget while the committee asked about vacancy backfills, an increase in complaints, long-outstanding violations and the agency's vulnerable building action plan.
Officials from the Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) testified to the City Council's land use committee about the agency's FY27 preliminary budget, permitting improvements and efforts to protect vulnerable historic resources.
LPC said its FY27 preliminary budget is $8.15 million (about $7.45 million city funds plus ~$700,000 in federal CDBG funds) and supports roughly 78 full-time staff. LPC told the committee the agency processes approximately 12,000 permit applications annually and that its online permitting portal, Portico, has shortened average permit processing times for common staff-level approvals.
Designations and outreach: LPC said it is prioritizing designations that better reflect the city's diversity and underrepresented neighborhoods. In FY26 LPC reported five individual landmarks and two new historic districts (Beverly Square West and Ditmas Park West in Brooklyn). The agency also held hearings on proposed landmark designations for a school annex, a Lower East Side church, and a Midtown Manhattan immigrant-services building.
Enforcement and demolition-by-neglect: Council members pressed LPC about an inventory of open violations and what the agency is doing to prevent demolition-by-neglect. LPC said it is taking a compliance-first approach (warning letters, outreach and support) and launched a vulnerable building action plan in 2023 intended to detect at-risk properties earlier. LPC acknowledged some longstanding open violations exist in its records, said enforcement staffing is a priority and noted that it has active litigation in several cases.
Grants and education: LPC described a small historic-preservation grant program funded through CDBG that awards modest grants (up to $35,000) to low-income homeowners and nonprofit organizations for facade and safety work; recent awards supported window replacement, stoop restoration and roof repairs.
What the committee asked for: Council members asked LPC to expand community engagement in underrepresented neighborhoods and to report on vacancy filling plans, the status of open violations and whether existing enforcement tools are adequate. LPC said it would follow up with hiring plans and additional details on enforcement caseloads.
Why it matters: LPC oversight affects preservation of historic buildings, many of which house affordable units and community institutions; the committee sought clarity on whether the commission has the staff and tools to prevent deterioration and loss.
