A section of Bedford-Stuyvesant is set to become a historic landmark district after the designation received unanimous approval Tuesday from the city's Landmarks Preservation Commission.
The board’s decision seemed clear from the start, as commissioners offered glowing statements about the neighborhood before the vote.
“How could this not already be a landmark district?” commissioner Frederick Bland asked. “It’s really hard to believe it took this long.”
The decision will affect more than 800 properties bounded by Gates Avenue, Fulton Street, Bedford Avenue and Tompkins Avenue — buildings that were almost all built between 1870 and 1900.
Community activists who attended the hearing cheered the decision.
“I am happy; I am relieved!” said Claudette Brady, one of the founders of the Bedford-Stuyvesant Society for Historic Preservation, a group that has been advocating for the designation for eight years. “It’s been a long, long journey but we’ve almost come to the end.”
The decision was delayed, as some members of the community were concerned about the implications of a historic landmark designation.
Some homeowners, for instance, said they were worried they would be forced to undertake expensive renovations, while others cited concerns that a rise in property values would push some longtime residents out.
The commission said it received 220 letters requesting more information about the designation since it was officially proposed in 2013. Its decision will now be sent to the Department of City Planning, which will complete a review and hold a public hearing within 60 days, before it is put before City Council for a vote.
Tuesday's vote is part of a broader initiative by the commission to deal with a backlog of cases, some that have been stalled for decades.