De Blasio to nominate BSA chair as head of Landmarks

Preservationist called it "very out-of-the-box choice"

Meenakshi Srinivasan
Meenakshi Srinivasan

Mayor Bill de Blasio is expected to nominate Meenakshi Srinivasan, chair of the Board of Standards for Appeals, to head the Landmarks Preservation Commission.

The pick now goes to the City Council for final approval. Srinivasan ran the BSA for about 10 years, and worked at the Department of City Planning for 14 years. She is also an architect. Carol Clark, assistant commissioner at Local Legislative Affairs, and Ronda Wist, former executive director of the Landmarks Commission, were considered for the spot.

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Real Estate Board of New York chief Steven Spinola said Srinivasan is expected to be receptive to developers’ needs. Simeon Bankoff, executive director of the Historic Districts Council, told the Wall Street Journal the nomination was a “very out-of-the-box choice.”

“It’s an interesting choice because the BSA [Board of Standards and Appeals] has very strict regulations under which it operates,” Bankeoff told the Journal. “The landmarks commission is much more flexible in its discretion.” [WSJ]Mark Maurer