On March 19th, LPC announced the launch of Portico, our new web-based permit application portal that offers an improved customer experience by making it easier to file an application, allow multiple users to access the same application, and receive detailed updates on application status. Moving forward, all new applications and related application materials must be submitted through Portico.
Portico represents an exciting transformation of LPC's permitting process, and offers a number of important benefits for owners of landmark buildings looking to do work on their designated properties:
Designed for Teams: Owners of landmark-designated properties and their applicant team will be able to use Portico for everything from filing applications for new permits or amending existing ones, to uploading supporting documentation (photographs, architectural plans, presentations), requesting notices of compliance, and receiving final permits and approved drawings.
Ease of Use: Portico removes any uncertainty over which application form to use. It employs an application assistant, or "wizard," for all applications, asking applicants a series of simple questions to direct them to the correct application process and the required materials to support the application. Portico will also automatically alert applicants if they qualify for one of LPC's expedited review services (FasTrack or Expedited Certificate of No Effect), as well as LPC's Business Express, a one-stop shop for business owners in landmark buildings that includes a dedicated hotline and team who offer pre-application consultation and focused application review.
Enhanced Status Updates: Applicants will be able to log into Portico to view the status of their application in greater detail than ever, and since it is designed to allow multiple users to access the same application, property owners and their representatives will have the same access to detailed status updates throughout every stage of the process.
For information on Portico, including how to get started, check out the Apply on Portico page on our website. Click here to sign up for future Portico announcements, including information on upcoming webinars, new tutorials, and other helpful educational materials.
LPC Designates the Bronx's Tremont Branch of the New York Public Library
Introducing the Bronx's newest landmark! On March 5th, the Commission voted to designate the Tremont branch of the New York Public Library as an individual landmark. Located at 1866 Washington Street in the Bronx, the Tremont branch building was built in 1905 – one of 67 circulating libraries constructed for New York City's three library systems in the early 20th century and funded by a grant from steel magnate Andrew Carnegie. The elegant and impressively intact branch building has played a significant role in the Tremont neighborhood, becoming heavily involved with multilingual education and literacy for the local community since its earliest years.
With the designation of the Tremont branch of the New York Public Library, LPC has now designated all five of the intact Carnegie libraries in the Bronx that remain within the New York Public Library system.
Learn more about the Bronx's newest landmark here.
LPC in the Community
2024 Preservation Conference
(L-R) Jahmel Martin, Ralph C. Menapace Fellow in Urban Land Use Law, Municipal Art Society; Shelley Worrell, Founder & CEO, I AM CARIBBEING; Kathy Howe, Director, Community Preservation Bureau, NY State Historic Preservation Office; John Mangin, Director of Housing Division, NYC Department of City Planning; Mark Silberman, LPC General Counsel
On March 9th, LPC's General Counsel Mark Silberman joined representatives from the NYC Department of City Planning (DCP), the New York State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO), and caribBEING for a panel discussion entitled "Government's Role in Preserving Historic and Cultural Assets" at the 2024 Preservation Conference. Our thanks to the Historic Districts Council (HDC) and the West Harlem Community Preservation Organization, who jointly organized the event, as well as to all those who attended and stopped by our table at the conference's Preservation Fair!
Faith-Based Affordable Housing Summit
(L-R) Taylor Aitkin, Associate Partner with MBB Architects; Ann Friedman, Director of the Sacred Sites Program at New York Landmarks Conservancy; Rev. Ellen Clark Clemot, Senior Counsel at Goldstein Hall; Ellen Liu Chan, Asset Manager for the Episcopal Diocese of Long Island Real Estate Division; Mark Silberman, LPC General Counsel
On March 13th, LPC's General Counsel Mark Silberman was back on the panel stage at this year's Faith-Based Affordable Housing Summit, joining the Mayor's Working Group for Faith-Based Affordable Housing and Community Development, Bricks and Mortals, and The Center for Faith and Community Partnerships for an important conversation about the challenges – and opportunities – involved in preserving and regulating religious buildings today.
"Getting Started on Portico" Webinar
On March 20th, members of LPC's preservation staff held an informational Zoom webinar taking attendees through the process of submitting a permit application on Portico, providing helpful tips and answering any questions attendees had about using the new web-based permit portal.
Didn't get to join the webinar live? The recording is available on LPC's YouTube channel, and click here to sign up to be notified of future webinars and other Portico-related announcements.
Looking Ahead
2024 is shaping up to be a busy year for LPC, with multiple sites currently calendared for consideration as potential NYC landmarks.
Once dates have been set for the next public hearings/meetings for these proposed landmarks, that information will be posted on the hearings page of LPC's website.
On March 6th, the City Planning Commission (CPC) voted to approve the Adams administration's "City of Yes for Economic Opportunity," a set of citywide zoning changes that will continue to drive New York City's economic recovery and bolster inclusive growth citywide. This is the second of the Adams administration's three "City of Yes" initiatives, which also include "City of Yes for Carbon Neutrality" and "City of Yes for Housing Opportunity." The proposal goes next to the City Council for a hearing and final vote.
Click here for more information about the Administration's "City of Yes for Economic Opportunity."
This is the NYC.gov news you requested for:
Landmarks Preservation Commission News
