Cross-posted from our colleagues at the National Trust Community Investment Corporation, a subsidiary of the National Trust for Historic Preservation

Thank you to all the advocates who reached out to congressional offices, led local meetings, and hosted tours of HTC projects in August! At this critical time, we continue to gain support for the HTC-GO, with 97 House members and 14 Senators cosponsoring the bill. We are steadily approaching our goal of 100 cosponsors in the House and 20 cosponsors in the Senate!

As the 117th Congress winds down, members of Congress will head home in October ahead of the November elections. Depending on the outcome of the elections, Congress will determine whether it will be an active lame-duck session or if it will limit activity to organizing for the new Congress. Scores of federal tax incentives have expired or will expire in 2022, resulting in growing interest from Republicans and Democrats to extend these tax provisions.

Year-end legislation may be a vehicle for HTC improvements. Building support for the HTC-GO now will pave a path for success when year-end legislative vehicles begin to move, possibly during a lame-duck session of Congress.

With about seven remaining weeks until the election, advocates are encouraged to do the following:

1. Use the National Trust E-advocacy tool to contact offices to request cosponsorship of the Historic Tax Credit Growth and Opportunity Act (HTC-GO, HR 2294/S. 2266)

2. Look for opportunities to meet with legislators when they are back home in October. Please connect with Senators and Representatives back home to request cosponsorship of HTC-GO. We encourage you to safely attend upcoming political events and gatherings to discuss the HTC-GO bill. As many did in August, you can also proactively schedule a time to meet with legislators for a meeting or a tour of a local HTC project, especially projects that will become easier to undertake with the HTC if the proposed changes are enacted.

Take Action:

1. Request cosponsorship through the National Trust for Historic Preservation's E-Advocacy tool.

2. Review the HTC-GO fact sheets to stay informed:

   1. House HTC-GO (HR 2294) Fact Sheet

   2. Senate HTC-GO (S. 2266) Fact Sheet

3. Search local and political events or join a local political party's email list to learn about events your members of Congress might be attending.

4. Invite your members of Congress to tour successful historic preservation projects. Take a look at the National Trust's guide to arranging a site visit.

5. Email Michael Phillips (mphillips@ntcic.com) to receive the schedulers' email addresses for your members of Congress and for additional assistance in making your request.

6. Check to see if your members of Congress have already cosponsored:

   1. House HTC-GO Cosponsors

   2. Senate HTC-GO Cosponsors

Talking Points for Discussions with your Members of Congress:

• "Now is the time to strengthen this proven incentive to address the slowdown and challenges in rehabilitation projects across the country."

• "Would you please cosponsor House Bill H.R. 2294/Senate Bill S. 2266-The Historic Tax Credit Growth and Opportunity Act (HTC-GO) and work to include these provisions in year-end legislation?" If the legislator has already cosponsored the bill, thank them instead of asking them to cosponsor.

• Explain how enacting these provisions would benefit your community.

  • For HTC-GO provision talking points, click here.

• Please share the "State of the Historic Rehabilitation Industry" and either the House HTC-GO Fact Sheet or the Senate HTC-GO Fact Sheet as printed handouts or links/attachments as a follow-up.

Resources

• HTC State Maps and Project Lists

Thank you for your advocacy! For assistance in contacting the offices of your members of Congress, please contact us at the email addresses below.

Mike Phillips mphillips@ntcic.com
Shaw Sprague ssprague@savingplaces.org
Patrick Robertson probertson@confluencegr.com

Shared from our colleagues at Preservation Action:

Preservation Action is excited announce the launch of our 2022 Congressional Candidate Historic Preservation Survey. For the fourth time, Preservation Action is surveying U.S House and Senate candidates across the country to gauge support of key national preservation programs and policies. We plan to share the results of the survey widely before the Midterm elections in November. We conducted a candidate survey prior to the 2016, 2018, and 2020 elections and received hundreds of responses. We are excited to hear from even more candidates this year and will be working with our network of state and local preservation organizations to help spread the word.

The goal of the survey is multi-faceted; to educate congressional candidates on the federal historic preservation program, gauge their level of support for critically important preservation programs and policies, educate PA members and supporters on the candidates positions and gain useful insights into congressional candidates background with historic preservation. Using the results of our Grassroots Survey as a guide, the survey asks the following questions:

1. Do you support stable and robust funding for the Historic Preservation Fund?

2. Would you support efforts to permanently reauthorize and enhance the Historic Preservation Fund?

3. Would you support efforts to update the Federal Rehabilitation Tax Credit (HTC) program?

4. Would you support policies that assure the impact to historic and cultural resources continue to be considered in the federal project planning process?

5. Does historic preservation play an important role in your state/district? How so? Describe any personal connections to historic preservation or historic sites. Is there a specific historic place in your district that is important to you and your constituents?

Help support this important work by following up with congressional candidates in your state, urging them to complete Preservation Action’s 2022 Congressional Candidate Survey. A copy of the survey and letter are available here. A list of contact information for congressional candidates (divided by state) is available here. Candidates that have already responded are highlighted in yellow.

Penn Station needs to be improved, but the current Penn Area Plan is not the answer. Join us in speaking out against it!

What's at stake

The League included the Penn Area Neighborhood on our Seven to Save list because Empire State Development's (ESD) proposed Penn Area redevelopment plan would demolish multiple city blocks, including over 40 historic buildings and structures, displacing thousands of residents and businesses. The negative environmental impact of this needless demolition would be a catastrophe. The plan itself raises numerous, serious questions that have yet to be answered, especially regarding how the project will be paid for. The lack of transparency is an insult to locals, and this kind of top-down governmental overreach poses a threat to communities across the state — not just our largest city.

Click here to read an open letter to Governor Hochul from League President Jay DiLorenzo.

What can you do? 

From our colleagues at Human-Scale NYC and the Empire Station Coalition:

Write to the Public Authorities Control Board and tell them to reject the General Project Plan for Penn Station. It is fiscally irresponsible and puts taxpayers statewide on the hook for an unknowable amount of money. This is contrary to the public interest. The project speculates on a revenue stream that might never come to fruition after what Empire State Development says will be a 22-year build out of supertall office towers by Vornado. This project does nothing for transit efficiency. Instead of doing real economic development, this project merely turns our government into a real estate speculator.

Write or call the members of the Public Authorities Control Board today:

• Assemblywoman Amy Paulin: PaulinA@nyassembly.gov

• Senator Leroy Comrie: comrie@nysenate.gov

• Assemblyman Joseph M. Giglio: GiglioJ@nyassembly.gov 

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Empire Station Coalition is a group of concerned community organizations led by co-coordinators Sam Turvey of RethinkNYC and Lynn Ellsworth of Human-Scale NYC, who banded together in 2020 to fight the Penn Area Plan. ESC has worked tirelessly to push the Plan's many flaws to the forefront of public attention.

In this open letter to Governor Kathy Hochul, League President Jay DiLorenzo urges her to use her authority to halt Empire State Development’s planned approval of the Penn Station Area project on July 21. The League included the Penn Area Neighborhood on our Seven to Save list because that plan would demolish multiple city blocks, including over 40 historic buildings and structures, displacing thousands of residents and businesses. The negative environmental impact of this needless demolition would be a catastrophe. The plan itself raises numerous, serious questions that have yet to be answered. The lack of transparency is an insult to locals, and this kind of top-down governmental overreach poses a threat to communities across the state — not just our largest city.

Penn Station needs to be improved, but the current plan is not the answer. Join us in demanding that Governor Hochul put a stop to Empire State Development’s planned approval on July 21!

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July 15, 2022

The Honorable Kathy Hochul
Governor of New York State
NYS State Capitol Building
Albany, NY 12224

Dear Governor Hochul,

The Preservation League of New York State respectfully asks that you use your authority as Governor to delay Empire State Development Corporation’s planned approval of the Penn Station area project, currently scheduled for July 21. 

The plan raises numerous, serious questions about its viability that have not been addressed, including how it will be financed, and what will happen if, especially given the weak demand for office space in a pandemic and post-pandemic world, the expected revenue does not materialize. Even if all those questions could be answered, the plan would still represent a colossal waste of resources, energy, irreplaceable architecture, and building materials.

The Empire State Development Corporation’s proposed Pennsylvania Station Civic and Land Use Project (the "Penn Area Plan") represents an unfortunate return to the Urban Renewal mindset of the mid-20th century, which promised that large-scale demolition would somehow lead to more viable and vibrant cities. Cities throughout the state and nation bear witness to the devastation caused by speculative demolition without a feasible rebuilding plan. Thousands of irreplaceable historic resources – of which the original Penn Station is an iconic example – were lost and wastefully discarded. Governor Hochul, we urge you to avoid repeating the mistakes of the past by halting this ill-conceived plan.

The current Penn Station is, without doubt, in need of improvement, and the League has no objection to upgrades that will improve the station’s functionality and aesthetics. What we strongly oppose is the plan to demolish multiple blocks of historic buildings in the vicinity of the station in the hope that private redevelopment will raise revenue for station improvements. We also oppose the opaque and top-down planning approach, which has utterly lacked the transparency and respect for local land-use procedures we thought the current administration championed.

All told, over 40 historic buildings and structures stand to be lost while displacing thousands of residents and businesses. The immediate impact on the people who live and work in this neighborhood would be devastating. The needless demolition is an environmental catastrophe. The negative environmental impact related to the embodied carbon that is wasted when buildings are demolished and put in a landfill, combined with the carbon output of major new construction projects, is in direct opposition to New York State’s proclaimed climate action goals. It is for these reasons that the Preservation League included the Penn Neighborhood on our current Seven to Save list of endangered historic places – underscoring the magnitude of the threat this community faces given the proposed Penn Area Plan. 

Penn Station needs to be improved, but the current Penn Area Plan is not the answer. The people of New York deserve better. Along with our New York City-based colleagues at the New York Landmarks Conservancy and the grassroots activists of the Empire Station Coalition, the League strongly urges Governor Hochul to put a stop to Empire State Development’s planned approval on July 21.

Sincerely,

Jay DiLorenzo
President, Preservation League of NYS

Click here for a PDF of this letter.

The proposed South of Union Square Historic District is one of this year’s Seven to Save. This neighborhood in Manhattan boasts a wide variety of of building types, many of which have ties to important social and cultural movements. Our colleagues at Village Preservation have been pushing for landmark designation and zoning protections to preserve the area’s historic character, limit out-of-scale construction, and prevent needless demolition. The League’s Vice President for Policy & Preservation Katie Comeau recently submitted a public letter of support for these efforts.

“We recognize that no historic district, whether in Manhattan or anywhere else in New York State, can or should be frozen in time. Change defines this and other Manhattan neighborhoods and will continue to do so. As you know, historic district designation does not and should not prevent all change, but provides a mechanism for managing change in a way that is respectful of the history and character of the district, balances competing concerns, and does not cede control over the process to aggressive development interests.

On behalf of the Preservation League, I urge you to support the designation of the proposed South of Union Square Historic District.”

Click here to read the full letter.

Through the recent inclusion of the James Brooks-Charlotte Park Home and Studios on the 2022-2023 Seven to Save list, the League is working alongside local advocates as well as colleagues at Preservation Long Island and the National Trust for Historic Preservation to advocate for the protection of this important historic site. As the East Hampton Town Council deliberates over how to proceed with the Brooks-Park site, VP for Policy and Preservation Katie Comeau sent a letter of support to East Hampton Town Supervisor Peter Van Scoyoc and members of the Town Council to publicly and explicitly encourage the Town to preserve the site and all four buildings on its grounds. As Katie details in her letter, “Our Seven to Save selection committee was impressed by the Brooks-Park property due to its unique architectural and historical significance and its potential to be both a recreational and historical asset to the town of East Hampton. The committee was equally impressed by the passion of local advocates and their vision for the future of the property as an artistic and environmental sanctuary. Charlotte Park and James Brooks drew inspiration from the natural world while in their home and studios; those who visit today can similarly immerse themselves in nature while also experiencing and learning about the artists’ contributions to Abstract Expressionism and their place in the remarkable Long Island art community in the mid-twentieth century.”

Click here to read the full support letter.

The League joins our colleagues at Adirondack Architectural Heritage in supporting Assembly Bill 7535A (Jones) and Senate Bill 7868 (Stec), which amends Article 14 of the NYS Constitution to convey land to Debar Pond Institute in order to facilitate the preservation of the historic Debar Pond Lodge. We urge you to make your voice heard to support this measure as well! Please contact Assembly Speaker Carl E. Heastie (518.455.3791) and Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins (518.455.2715) by phone before this Friday, May 27. If not passed before June 2, Debar will have to wait an additional two years for any possibility of restoration.

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From aarch.org:

Adirondack Architectural Heritage (AARCH) enthusiastically supports Assembly Bill 7535A (Jones) and Senate Bill 7868 (Stec), which amends Article 14 of the New York State Constitution to convey land to Debar Pond Institute in order to facilitate the preservation of the historic Debar Pond Lodge. For over 15 years, AARCH has advocated for the preservation and public use of Debar Pond Lodge and put the property on the National Register of Historic Places in 2004.

This legislation responds to the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation’s proposal to demolish the lodge, replacing it a Debar Lodge Day Use Area, following 17 years of ownership during which the buildings were unused. In exchange for adding 400 acres of nearby land to the Adirondack Forest Preserve, approximately six acres of land including Debar Pond Lodge will transfer to the nonprofit Debar Pond Institute, who will provide public programming and educational opportunities at the site.

The constitutional amendment outlined in A.7535A/S.7868 will accomplish the following:

• Save the NYS & National Register-listed Debar building complex from destruction

• Allow organizations to use the Debar Pond Lodge for public educational programs, workshops, events, accommodations, and tours

• Enhance the New York State Forest Preserve in the Adirondacks by at least 400 acres

• Disburse use of the Forest Preserve away from the overused High Peaks region

• Provide jobs and economic benefits to the local area

• Save New York State a half-million dollars or so in demolition and site improvement costs

• Maintain and facilitate public access, including new handicapped access, to Debar Pond and the surrounding Forest Preserve

A.7535A/S.7868 has the support of a broad-based coalition of local and regional government, historic preservation, environmental, and economic development interests, including Adirondack Wild, Adirondack Diversity Initiative, Adirondack North Country Association, Town of Duane, Franklin County Board of Legislators, Adirondack Association of Towns and Villages, and the Adirondack Local Government Review Board.

We applaud the introduction of these bills and urge the Assembly and Senate to pass them during the 2022 session. Thank you to Assemblymembers Jones, Simpson, and Englebright and Senator Stec for their leadership.

The NYS Climate Action Council has developed a Draft Scoping Plan that serves as an initial framework for how New York State will meet the climate goals established in the 2019 Climate Leadership and Protection Act (Climate Act). The Draft Scoping Plan includes extensive language about making buildings more energy-efficient, but does not discuss ways to encourage building reuse as a strategy that reduces wasteful energy expenditures associated with demolition, reconstruction, and the discarding of building materials. 

The Council is accepting public comments on the Draft Scoping Plan until June 10, 2022. We encourage preservation advocates to submit comments highlighting the essential role of historic preservation, adaptive reuse, and the diversion of building materials from landfills in combating climate change.

• Our Colleagues at Historic Ithaca and their CR0WD partners have put together an excellent comment guide.

• Link to scoping plan

• Link to submit comments

• Or email comments to scopingplan@nyserda.ny.gov

This press release is cross-posted from parks.ny.gov

Repair of Historic Barns Can Qualify for 25% New York State Tax Credit

New York State Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation announced the launch of the revitalized Historic Barn Rehabilitation Tax Credit program. The new program allows state taxpayers who rehabilitate their historic barns to earn a credit against state income tax owed.

"New York's rural landscapes are characterized by historic barns, forming the identities of many communities," said Erik Kulleseid, Commissioner of the Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation. "Retaining these historic structures, are among the state's most threatened historic resources, contributes to heritage tourism and expands opportunities for the state's agricultural economy. State Parks is pleased to add this program to its existing historic tax credit programs."

The amount of the tax credit is equal to 25% of the expenditures incurred to rehabilitate a historic barn. To qualify, a barn must have been built prior to 1946, and the work must be approved by the Division for Historic Preservation. Taxpayers can begin to claim the credit on their 2022 New York State taxes.

Governor Kathy Hochul signed legislation reinstating and improving the barn tax credit program, which had been limited in availability due to 2018 federal tax code changes. The legislation was sponsored by State Senator Michelle Hinchey of the 46th District, and Assemblymember Didi Barrett of the 106th District.

"New York's historic barns are emblematic of our agricultural heritage and a testament to upstate's economic leadership as the original breadbasket of America," said Senator Michelle Hinchey. "Thanks to our bill to revive the Historic Barn Rehabilitation Tax Credit program, we are making it more affordable for New Yorkers to give these beloved buildings a new shot at life. Historic preservation is an important driver of rural revitalization, and I am so proud to have sponsored the legislation that will help save thousands of historic barns from disrepair, boosting local economies and local pride in the process."

"I was proud to sponsor legislation to resurrect the New York State Historic Barn Rehabilitation Tax Credit, and I am delighted that the statewide application process is now open," said Assemblymember Didi Barrett. "In the Hudson Valley – once the breadbasket of our young nation – historic barns are an iconic testament to our region's deep agricultural roots. This tax credit will incentivize the next generation of farmers and small business owners to grow their businesses here in New York State, while preserving some of our most picturesque and historic structures!"

"The Preservation League of NYS is grateful to Governor Hochul for signing the Historic Barn Rehabilitation Tax Credit into law, and to Senator Hinchey and Assemblymember Barrett for their leadership on this important preservation issue," said Preservation League President Jay DiLorenzo. "This credit is a much-needed resource for barn owners across the state, who thanks to this program, will be able to make vital repairs and bring countless barns back to life – either reinvigorating their agricultural function or adaptively reusing them for innovative new purposes."

Program information and staff contact information can be found on the Division for Historic Preservation's website www.parks.ny.gov/shpo/tax-credit-programs/. Applications can be mailed to 1 Delaware Avenue North, Cohoes, 12047 (for express mail services) or to P.O. Box 189, Waterford, NY 12188 (for USPS mail service).

On Wednesday May 18, 2022 at 6:00 PM, a Historic Barn Tax Credit Information Session will be held at Glimmerglass State Park, Lakeview Pavilion, 1527 County Road 31, Cooperstown, NY 13326. Olivia Brazee from the State Historic Preservation Office and Ellen Pope, executive director of Otsego 2000, will walk participants through the requirements for receiving the credit. The event is free but registration is recommended at: https://forms.donorsnap.com/form?id=315d40c2-8bcc-4086-87c6-df061aeed264

New York State’s 2023 budget was approved on Saturday, April 9, totaling $220 billion. While we are still gathering the details included in the budget, there are some highlights relating to preservation that we wanted to call out. 

New York State Rehabilitation Tax Credit Programs

The New York State Rehabilitation Tax Credit Programs (residential/income producing) are currently authorized until December 31, 2024. As that date draws closer, those who want to utilize the credits will wonder if they will be available when they are ready to proceed with their projects. In response, the League worked with our colleagues to request the reauthorization of the programs through December 31, 2029. We were pleased to see that the budget proposal from the NYS Assembly included a recommendation to extend the programs through December 31, 2031, but that proposal did not make into the final budget agreement. We will need to make a concerted push for inclusion in the 2024 budget to ensure the continuation of these programs.

Environmental Protection Fund (EPF)

In November, the League and our colleagues advocated for increasing the EPF to $500 million in the 2023 budget. While the final budget didn’t reach our requested amount, we are happy to report that funding for the EPF increased considerably to $400 million. Until now, the EPF was capped at $300 million by statute although for a number of years it did not reach that level. The EPF provides capital funding to protect the environment and to restore historic sites. Funds related to preservation are managed by the Office of Parks, Recreation & Historic Preservation (OPRHP). The amount of the EPF earmarked for historic preservation grants is determined internally but we are hopeful that with the overall increase in the fund, we will see increased grant opportunities for preservation.

Clean Water, Clean Air, and Green Jobs Environmental Bond Act

The budget established a proposed $4.2 billion bond act that will require approval in November by New York voters. This is a significant increase in the value of the Bond Act, which was first proposed in 2019 at $3 billion but was delayed due to Covid-19. Although $400 million is earmarked for “Green Building Projects,” this act does not contain any funds directed specifically to historic preservation and is entirely focused on making “environmental improvements that preserve, enhance, and restore NY’s natural resources and reduce the impact of climate change by funding capital projects.”

Limit on Size of Residential Development

Governor Hochul’s proposed Executive Budget included a plan to lift the decades-old statewide limit on the allowable size of new residential development. The Governor’s proposal would have lifted the current limit on residential floor area ratio (FAR) which stands at 12. This would have effectively allowed New York City in particular to permit residential construction of any size. The League’s colleagues in New York City worked successfully to keep this proposal from being included in the final budget.

Operations Budgets

The approved budget for NYSOPRHP has been significantly increased to $463 million. Within the agency, historic preservation received a 21% budget increase predominately to fund staff positions to respond to an overwhelming workload. The majority of the overall increase for OPRHP was $250M for Capital Projects. Previously this was $120M, so this represents a wonderful and needed increase.

The budget included a $140 million commitment for the New York State Council on the Art’s (NYSCA) arts and cultural projects, including $50 million for capital projects. NYSCA is an important source for historic preservation funding through their Capital Projects grants and the Preservation League-administered Preserve New York and Technical Assistance Grant programs.

The League will be sure to share updates as further details of the budget emerge.