Does Hiring A Starchitect Help Developers Get Approval?

"The city's Landmarks Preservation Commission is being asked to pave the way for the construction of a soaring glass tower that would alter the city's skyline and permit the expansion of the Museum of Modern Art.

Today, the 11-member panel will consider the plan by a prominent national developer, Hines, to build a twisting, 75-story apartment tower on a small site adjacent to MoMA.

The project architect, Jean Nouvel, last month won the most prestigious award in his field, the Pritzker Prize, and prominent members of the city's architecture community are expected to rally on behalf of the project, which they say represents a groundbreaking innovation. The plan is also facing loud criticism from neighbors and preservationists because of the tower's height and its mid-block location on a side street rather than an avenue. The critics say the angular design is out of context with one of Midtown's most visited blocks."