Donald H. Elliott, former NYC Planning Commissioner, has passed away aged 89

More sad news to pass along in the closing days of another tragic year as The New York Times is reporting that influential preservationist and urban planner Donald H. Elliott passed away at his home in Brooklyn this past Thursday. Elliott was chairman of New York’s City Planning Commission for a number of years through the early 1970s and was instrumental in leading a shift away from the Robert Moses-led planning mandates that were a hallmark of the region in the decades following World War II. As chairman of the commission, Elliott oversaw the successful effort to save the South Street Seaport from redevelopment in addition to spearheading a host of other significant initiatives including the rezoning of midtown’s retail-friendly Fifth Avenue and the division of the city into over 60 individual community districts, the legacy of which is still in place today.  Elliott was born to socially-minded parents in Manhattan in 1932 and later went on to study at Carleton College before obta...