FRIENDS' Testimony:

FRIENDS cannot accept this proposal as presented. The building already extends approximately five feet further toward the street than its immediate neighbors at the front façade. Given this existing condition, we ask that the applicant adopt a more restrained and context-sensitive approach to the rear-yard addition and act as a good neighbor to adjacent properties.

As presented by Carnegie Hill Neighbors, the existing donut green space remains largely intact and should be preserved. Since No. 131 is the only LPC-approved rear-yard addition, we request that a similar volumetric approach be adopted here. A terraced massing strategy, with a fifth-floor rooftop addition set back from the rear façade, would better respect the scale and character of the surrounding row houses, preserve the existing character of the donut, and allow more light into the green space. A fifth-floor addition is acceptable only if it is clearly recessed; otherwise, FRIENDS believes the proposal is topheavy, intrusive, and incompatible with the surrounding rear-yard context.

LPC Hearing: January 6, 2026