Home improvement is a tricky business in Fieldston, a tony enclave in the northwest corner of the Bronx. For instance, swing sets can be installed without a permit, but new doors and outside lighting cannot.
The lights and portals don’t qualify as temporary changes under the rules of the Landmarks Preservation Commission and could thus threaten the enduring nature of the historic neighborhood. Homeowners have had to contend with these new regulations ever since the 257-house Fieldston Historic District was landmarked in April — despite the opposition of many residents.
The vocal protests seem to have died down, but the tensions have yet to fully disappear. Charles Moerdler, a former city buildings commissioner and chairman of the local community board’s land use committee for the last 20 years, explained the main reason for resistance is financial.
“It will contribute mightily to keeping out young people because of the added cost, and that will have an exclusionary effect,” said Moerdler, who has lived in the neighborhood since 1968. “Secondly, it will cost people who live in the area considerably more money to make changes. In my view, it primarily is a device to make more money for architects.”
The city maintains that it made the right move. Residents began building additions that weren’t exactly in keeping with the neighborhood’s style, and “there was some doubt and concern that the community would be able to maintain its architectural integrity over time,” said City Councilwoman Jessica Lappin, chairwoman of the Council’s land use subcommittee on landmarks, public siting and maritime uses.
“If it’s a merited landmarking, while we listen to the concerns of the resident… the landmark law does not take into account the views of the owner,” she said.
The impact that the historic district designation will have on home prices is not yet totally clear.
A September 2003 report by the New York City Independent Budget Office found that historic district designation is associated with increased property values. “All else equal, prices of houses in historic districts are higher than those of similar houses outside historic districts,” the report said, adding that, however, “There is not sufficient evidence to conclude that districting itself causes higher prices or greater price appreciation.”
Not all brokers are convinced there has been an impact in Fieldston. Any rise in prices may be symptomatic of rising real estate prices in general, according to Linda Justus, an agent at Robert E. Hill in Riverdale, even if there has been a slowdown in the last several months.
For example, 4595 Fieldston Road, a Mediterranean-style house, was appraised at $885,000 in 1999. It sold in 2004 for $2.15 million, and resold for $2.6 million in 2006 with some renovations. “I don’t think the [landmarking] will really affect the prices of homes,” Justus said.