The Landmarks Preservation Commission has proposed new to rules that would let its staff make more decisions rather than the commissioners.

Some preservationists, however, have expressed concerns that the rules would remove the staff's decisions from public review.

Kate Wood, the executive director of Landmark West!, a preservation group on the Upper West Side, was quoted in an article yesterday by Jill Colvin at DNAinfo.com that "it takes an important layer of transparency and public input out of the process," adding that part of the problem was that decisions made by staffers were not subject to the same public review process, which meant that residents have no way of knowing that something was happening before the scaffolding went up.

The article said that "some local preservationists are warning the changes will mean more decisions made behind closed doors and less say from residents and advocates about what happens in their neighborhoods," adding that "members of Midtown's Community Board 5 and the Upper West Side's Community Board 7 have also expressed similar concerns."

Under the new rules, more decisions would be placed in the hands of staffers instead of coming up for public vote before the full commission, the article said, adding that the changes apply to a slew of alterations, including new windows, heating and air conditioning equipment, rooftop additions and storefront signs.

According to Elisabeth de Bourbon, a spokeswomen for the Commission, the new rules were intended to streamline the review process and would be limited to "certain types of work which are restorative, have no effect on significant architectural features, or have been consistently approved by the Commissioners," the article said.

Simeon Bankoff, executive director of the Historic Districts Council, which has not yet taken a formal stance on the rules, said that while the changes were extensive, most looked "extremely reasonable" and put into writing decisions that were already being made anyway.

He noted that the vast majority - about 90 percent of the 10,000 permits that the Commission issued every year - were already issued by staff, who were well trained in the commission's rules. However, the article said he did raise concerns that some of the new rules' language was ambiguous, such as rules governing "minimally visible" rooftop additions and signs that must be kept "proportional" to a landmarked storefront.

To try to help residents sort through the legalese, the Landmarks Preservation Commission's chief legal council will presenting an overview of the new rules at 8:30 A.M., Monday, February 14, 2011 at the Historic Districts Council's offices at 232 East 11th Street.

A public hearing on the changes is then scheduled for March 1 at 9:30 a.m. on the 9th floor of 1 Centre Street downtown.