MIDTOWN EAST—The City Council will vote on the controversial Midtown East Rezoning tomorrow and, according to Councilwoman Gale Brewer, there will not be enough votes for it to be approved. (This does not necessarily mean that the rezoning is dead; it may simply be amended.) Apparently, Mayor-Elect Bill de Blasio concurs. His team just released a statement, confusingly titled "Statement from Mayor-Elect Bill de Blasio on today's Midtown East Rezoning vote," that reads:
For the sake of New York City's long-term economic vitality, Midtown East should be re-zoned to allow the creation of a world-class 21st-century commercial district. But it needs to be done right.
We cannot afford to hand over the right to develop some of the most valuable real estate in the world without ensuring real and fair benefits for the people of New York City. We need to address the many unanswered questions about this plan, including how to build the infrastructure needed to accommodate the additional density created by the rezoning, and how to ensure that new development rights are appropriately priced to create the best possible value for the City.
I applaud the City Council for pressing the pause button in order to ensure these concerns are adequately addressed. We must continue this process in earnest upon taking office, and I commit to presenting a revised rezoning plan for the area by the end of 2014. [CurbedWire Inbox; previously] LUXURY BUILDINGS—Marketing Directors surveyed a pool of apartment hunters about which amenities they were most desirous of, and the results probably won't surprise you that might. Then again, they might. Swimming Pool was the clear winner, with second place going to Yoga Studio (AKA Meditation Room) and Sauna/Steam Room not far behind. The amenity that least excited prospective buyers: Handball Court, although, to be fair, it probably split the votes with Squash Court and Racquetball Court. [The Real Deal]
CLINTON HILL—Preservationists are pushing for the Landmarks Commission to designate an Art Deco building from 1932 that once housed the M.H. Renken Dairy Company. However, according to a report from the Daily News, two Brooklyn historians say that the landmarking would be a mistake because the building isn't historic enough. The original facade, with the dairy company name across the top, is still intact, though, so it's unclear exactly what "not historic enough" means in this case. [NYDN; previously]
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