Community board landmarks votes often pointless: members

It’s hard to advise the city’s official landmarks preservers after they’ve already made their decisions.

The Landmarks Preservation Commission often votes on landmarks decisions before community boards have a chance to weigh in.

Community Board 7, which represents the Upper West Side, considered plans to alter eight landmarked buildings at its meeting earlier this week.

Of those, six of had already been voted on by the LPC, DNAinfo reported.

“They meet once a week, we meet once a month, so occasionally we get lucky with the timing,” board member Jay Adolf told the news service. He called it an “ongoing” problem.

Adolf’s smaller Preservation Committee offers recommendations earlier on the in the process, and he told DNAinfo its opinions are generally considered by LPC.

But, the full community board, meeting later, often overturns the committee vote.

“Is there any reason to waste this board’s time?” board member Ken Coughlin said at this week’s meeting, according to DNAinfo. “What we’re voting on has no import, apparently.” [DNAinfo] – Ariel Stulberg