Today, Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani and Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) Chair Lisa Kersavage announced a new suite of tools to help New Yorkers create more housing in historic districts.
The new resources will make it easier for homeowners to build Ancillary Dwelling Units (ADUs) and for landmark property owners to use Landmark Transferable Development Rights (TDRs), helping neighborhoods add housing while preserving the character and integrity of New York City's 157 historic districts and extensions and tens of thousands of landmarked properties.
Today's launch includes a searchable map showing where homeowners can create ADUs in historic districts, a new ADU fact sheet and a dedicated LPC team to help property owners navigate the approval process. The City is also releasing a fact sheet and detailed guidance on landmark transferable development rights, making it easier for landmarked properties to generate revenue for maintenance and preservation while enabling new housing nearby.
"New York needs more homes, and every neighborhood has a role to play in building them. Preserving our history and building are future are not competing goals. These new tools will help homeowners create more space for their families, help landmarked buildings stay financially stable and help our city add the housing we need - all while protecting the neighborhoods we love," said Mayor Mamdani. "That's what Block by Block is all about."
"It will take a whole-of-government, citywide approach to deliver the housing relief that New Yorkers need. I'm grateful to the LPC team for taking up that charge with the urgency that New Yorkers demand and for their thoughtful approach to ensuring that every neighborhood in the city adds housing while protecting historic districts and properties for generations to come," said Leila Bozorg, Deputy Mayor for Housing and Planning.
"The tools released today as part of Mayor Mamdani's Block by Block Housing Plan demonstrate that we can preserve our historic districts and landmarks while also increasing New York City's housing supply," said Landmarks Preservation Commission Chair Lisa Kersavage. "These new resources will help homeowners and owners of smaller properties take advantage of new zoning opportunities, whether by adding an ADU for extended family or rental income, or by using landmark transfers to generate funds for maintaining their historic buildings while making it possible to create new housing nearby."
These new tools are part of Block by Block, the Mamdani administration's comprehensive housing plan to build and preserve affordable housing across New York City. The plan ensures that every neighborhood contributes to meeting the city's housing needs and includes historic investments in affordable housing, tenant protections, code enforcement and public housing.
To support the City's housing goals, the LPC is also advancing proposed rules that will make it easier to modify building features in historic districts and on individual landmarks. If approved, the rules would expedite the application and review process by expanding the range of projects eligible for staff-level approval, reducing the number that require a vote by the full commission at a public hearing.
Both the ADU and TDR resources will help New Yorkers to take advantage of the pro-housing zoning changes adopted through City of Yes for Housing Opportunity in 2024. Those changes legalized ADUs across much of the city, while establishing specific requirements for certain ADUs in historic districts. LPC's new interactive map and guidance will help homeowners navigate those requirements and the approval process. The Departments of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) and Buildings (DOB) recently launched the ADU for You program to make it easier for homeowners to create ADUs.
The City also expanded and simplified the Landmark TDR process, making it easier to add housing near landmarks while generating revenue to support the upkeep of historic properties. LPC's new fact sheet and application guidance will help property owners navigate that new process.
