By LANDMARK WEST!
A State-level bill titled the “Faith-Based Affordable Housing Act” has the potential to override local landmark laws protecting the architectural and cultural integrity of historic religious structures.
This legislation would clear the way for owners of religious properties to building housing on their land, landmarked or not. Landmark West! shares concerns with our preservation coleagues in the city and statewide that this bill could undermine protections for historic houses of worship and the surrounding neighborhood in favor of development, including market-rate luxury housing.
The bill was first proposed in 2024, but thanks to opposition led by preservation groups and thousands of letters against circumventing the landmarks rules, we won some key concessions and it receded in limbo after that year’s legislative session. In February 2025, the measure reemerged with the support of the anti-landmarking, anti-zoning-protections advocates who are pushing for it to pass in the new session.
Read LW!’s Joint letter with our colleagues at Village Preservation, Carnegie Hill Neighbors, East Village Community Coalition, and Friends of the Upper East Side.