On Monday, March 12th, the City Council Subcommittee on Landmarks, Public Siting and Maritime Uses voted to reject the designation of two individual landmarks on City Island in The Bronx, the Samuel H. and Mary T. Booth House and the Stafford “Osborn” House.
The reason given by Subcommittee Chair Adrienne Adams and referenced by other committee members was the Council practice of ceding control of land-use decisions to the local councilmember, in this instance CM Mark Gjonaj. CM Gjonaj was reported to oppose the landmark designations of these two private houses because their owners were reported to object to the designations. It’s important to note that neither the Councilmember nor the owners appeared at the public hearings although CM Gjonaj was reported to have submitted a statement for the record. CM Gjonaj had previously voted against affirming a landmark designation in Bushwick, Brooklyn which had local Councilmember support but whose owner opposed the designation. [Read more…] about City Island Landmarks Rejected by NYC City Council