Plan To Extend Carroll Gardens Historic District Picks Up Steam

Carroll Gardens is known for its namesake front yards and lovely brownstone rowhouses. Though some assume the neighborhood is protected from out-of-scale development and out-of-character renovations, that is only partially true.

The neighborhood was rezoned in 2009, an action resulting in height and bulk restrictions on new developments, but only two blocks in the neighborhood are in a Historic District. That designation, granted by the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission in 1973, only protects Carroll and President streets between Smith and Hoyt streets.

Some residents and neighborhood groups, including the longstanding Carroll Gardens Neighborhood Association, would like to extend the district, thus preserving the historic character of the neighborhood.

But the CGNA wants the extension to initially be contiguous, or right next to, the existing Historic District. This stands in opposition to a preliminary evaluation by the Landmarks Preservation Commission. 

Last summer, the CGNA asked Landmarks to tour the neighborhood with residents to discuss a possible extension of the current Historic District, said land use committee co-chair Glenn Kelly. Instead, the Commission came back with a "throwaway suggestion," said Kelly, that said the Place blocks, an area bounded by 1st Place and Court, Henry and Huntington streets, would be considered.

"We don't want to fragment the neighborhood into two islands," said Kelly, adding that they noticed "more of a threat on blocks next to the old district."

Lisi de Bourbon, spokesperson for the Landmarks Preservation Commission, said a preliminary evaluation to determine what area could be a priority for future study had been completed, and confirmed that it was the Place blocks that were evaluated.

Regardless, the CGNA, along with the Brooklyn Preservation Council, is moving quickly to develop a proposal to present to Landmarks. Robert Furman, President of the Preservation Council, has taken a picture of nearly every building.

"We've had two meetings and what we've come up with is a rough boundary," said Kelly, adding that a preliminary meeting with the Commission will happen in the next couple of months.

But some neighborhood residents don't want landmarking at all.

Michael Cassidy, a founding member of Citizens Against Landmarking, said he doesn't see the benefits to landmarking a neighborhood.

"This neighborhood's been stable, this is already a good neighborhood," he said. "We have kept it nice."

Kelly agrees that Carroll Gardens has retained its character.

"We've been lucky that really not much has changed," he said.

Kelly's wife, Katia, of the popular neighborhood blog Pardon Me For Asking, also recently  on why landmarking is important.

Cassidy, a Carroll Gardens resident for 33 years, with family roots as far back as the 1820s, says landmarking will just drive up costs for building owners and rents for those who can't afford to buy an apartment. Those in favor of landmarking argue the costs aren't that great, especially because property values generally go up in a Historic District.

A study by the Independent Budget Office conducted in 2003 found that homes in landmarks districts generally do cost more than in non Historic Districts. However, the study said that "there is not sufficient evidence to conclude that districting itself causes higher prices or greater price appreciation."

When a building is in a Historic District, the front of the house facing the street is the only portion held to the Landmarks Preservation Commission's standards. Buildings that violate the standards before the designation will not have to change unless the building is sold, or a building permit is requested in the future.

For Kelly, who has lived on one of the landmarked blocks for many years, protecting the buildings for future generations is what's important.

"This is something for the long term," he said. "I want to leave this building better than when we found it."