The one where Coney Island's Live Nation amphitheater got a 10-year leash to 2036

Christopher Marte opened his first hearing as chair of the landmarks subcommittee with a thesis: only 3.9 percent of city lots are landmarked, and landmarking protects rent-stabilized tenements rather than blocking housing. Then he ran a docket that tested the claim, from a Live Nation concert venue in Coney Island to two Flatbush historic districts.

The Seaside Park and Community Arts Center drew the most testimony. EDC's Greg Vangert walked the panel through a zoning text amendment and a special permit to legalize the already-built covered amphitheater, a roughly 5,000-seat venue, as an arena of up to 6,000 seats, with waivers for signage, parking and loading. The site is leased to Safehold and operated by Live Nation, which has booked Sting, The Beach Boys, Ice-T, Foo Fighters and Willie Nelson, plus the Mermaid Parade Ball. The package acquires a slice of lot 123 and disposes of city-owned parcels, including the landmarked 56,000-square-foot Child's Building, with the amphitheater run restricted to 10 years, ending in 2036. Councilmember Kayla Santoso, whose 47th District holds the site, pressed on noise complaints, a roughly 10:30 p.m. concert curfew, and the six free community events a year and graduation use the RFP would require. The item was heard and laid over.

The afternoon's emotional center was a joint hearing on the Beverly Square West and Ditmas Park West Historic Districts, both in Rita Joseph's district. LPC's Tim Fry detailed Beverly Square West's 118 houses built between 1894 and 1910 and Ditmas Park West's 127 homes, Queen Anne and Colonial Revival houses on lawned lots. At LPC's October 21 hearing, 33 people backed Beverly Square West and none opposed; Ditmas Park West drew 10 in favor and 3 against. More than 90 percent of homeowners supported designation. Residents Janice Hammond, Sally Bowman and Mary Louise Clemens testified that their two- and three-family homes already shelter tenants and multi-generational families, and that preservation and affordability live side by side.

Marte also opened hearings on a community garden acquisition by the Parks Department, the Constellation HPD home-ownership project of affordable cooperatives carrying 40-year Article 11 exemptions and 99-year ground leases, and 395 Flatbush Avenue Extension, a 72-story mixed-use tower in downtown Brooklyn led by HPD with DOHMH and DCAS. Nothing was voted. Every item was heard and laid over, leaving the amphitheater's RFP terms and the co-op pricing as the numbers to watch when these return for a vote.