Landmarking the Lower East Side

The [Lower East Side Preservation Coalition] moved one step closer toward creating its controversial Lower East Side Historic District. In late July, [Manhattan Community Board 3](www.nyc.gov/html/mancb3/html/home/home.shtml) voted in favor of giving the landmark status to the 450 buildings located in the 20-block area between East Houston to Canal streets and Allen to Essex streets. The board was overwhelmingly supportive of the district. Of the 27 members present at the full board meeting in late July, 24 voted in favor of the measure.

Officials at the [Lower East Side Tenement Museum ]have long supported the measure, joining the Coalition in its fight to “unite diverse stakeholders behind common community stabilization and development goals.” If the mayor’s [PlanNYC](www.plannyc.org/project-92-Lower-East-Side-Rezoning) own designs to rezone the area mean anything, the fast-changing L.E.S. landscape—[read luxury condos and big box gourmet supermarkets](http://www.nypress.com/20/18/news&columns/feature.cfm)—will soon be slowing down to a grinding halt.

But, for now, the community board’s recent vote won’t mean a thing, until the [Landmarks Preservation Commission] votes itself. The commission is currently conducting surveys of the area. Staffers are now photographing and documenting buildings and researching the history and architectural style in order to evaluate the need and benefit of creating the district. The commission will then hold forums with the public in order to create a “master plan” detailing a guideline for the renovation and completion of the buildings in the proposed historic district. The commission plans to vote on the plan in the fall.