It was supposed to be the crowning land use achievement in a mayoral reign that saw 40 percent of New York City rezoned. But statements indicate the City Council is set to shelve Mayor Bloomberg's controversial Midtown East upzoning.
"An ambitious rezoning of Midtown East- one of the final signature proposals of Mayor Bloomberg - is dead in the water for the rest of his administration," reports Eric Durkin. "The City Council is set to vote down the plan this week."
“'We should rezone East Midtown, but only when we can do so properly. After extensive negotiations, we have been unable to reach agreement on a number of issues in the proposed plan,' said City Council Speaker Christine Quinn and Councilman Dan Garodnick (D-East Side), who represents the district, in a joint statement."
Mayor-elect Bill de Blasio applauded the decision to "[press] the pause button", but indicated he intends to rework the rezoning plan by the end of next year.
FULL STORY: Midtown East Rezoning Plan To Die In New York City Council... For Now
Depopulation Patterns Get Weird
A recent ranking of “declining” cities heavily features some of the most expensive cities in the country — including New York City and a half-dozen in the San Francisco Bay Area.
California Exodus: Population Drops Below 39 Million
Never mind the 40 million that demographers predicted the Golden State would reach by 2018. The state's population dipped below 39 million to 38.965 million last July, according to Census data released in March, the lowest since 2015.
Chicago to Turn High-Rise Offices into Housing
Four commercial buildings in the Chicago Loop have been approved for redevelopment into housing in a bid to revitalize the city’s downtown post-pandemic.
Ohio Lawmakers Propose Incentivizing Housing Production
A proposed bill would take a carrot approach to stimulating housing production through a grant program that would reward cities that implement pro-housing policies.
Chicago Awarded $2M Reconnecting Communities Grant
Community advocates say the city’s plan may not do enough to reverse the negative impacts of a major expressway.
New Park Opens in the Santa Clarita Valley
The City of Santa Clarita just celebrated the grand opening of its 38th park, the 10.5-acre Skyline Ranch Park.
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