FRIENDS' testimony:
FRIENDS’ Preservation Committee supports strengthening individual landmark protections through Continuing Maintenance Plans (CMPs). However, we object to this application due to a lack of transparency regarding the Transfer of Development Rights (TDR) process and its implications for the long-term preservation of the Upper East Side. We request that the Commission address several critical concerns before FRIENDS can support this proposal.

This is the third application involving TDRs from an individual landmark to the same receiving site, located just outside the Upper East Side Historic District, that has come before the Commission in the past month. FRIENDS seeks clarification regarding the standards governing these requests. Specifically, what criteria guide these approvals, and is there a limit to the amount of development rights that can be accumulated at a single site, or may such rights continue to be transferred without restriction?

The concentration of multiple transfers at a single location raises concerns regarding oversight and the broader consequences of these approvals. As additional transfers are directed to the same receiving site, we ask how the Commission weighs the impacts on neighboring property owners—particularly with respect to access to light and air—and what protections are in place to ensure that the combined effect of these transfers does not undermine the character, scale, and livability of our neighborhood.

While FRIENDS supports providing landmark owners with resources for maintenance and preservation, this objective should not come at the expense of transparency or meaningful public review. We urge the Commission to clearly articulate the framework used to evaluate these transfers and their broader effects on surrounding properties and communities. Until these standards are clarified and the Commission provides answers to these questions, FRIENDS cannot support applications involving the transfer of development rights.

LPC Hearing:

June 2, 2026