Plans for an 800-foot tower have attracted well-funded opposition from a community group. Its campaign to regulate the structure's height has spiraled into a big fight.

For Politico, Sally Goldenberg writes, "Rarely is [community] opposition so organized and well-funded that it succeeds in upending the plans of a developer who isn't even seeking city approval for a land use change."
But that's what's happening in Midtown Manhattan. "A community organization known as the East River Fifties Alliance is on the verge of blocking an 800-foot-tall tower planned for East 58th Street. [...] The alliance spent upward of $1 million on land use attorneys, lobbyists and consultants, some who had worked for the Department of City Planning in the past, to craft a proposal that wouldn't simply register displeasure with development but stop it dead in its tracks."
The alliance wants to regulate the building's height by "imposing a zoning regulation known as 'tower on a base.' If instituted, it would restrict the developer, Gamma Real Estate, to constructing roughly half the bulk of the structure below 150 feet."
Meanwhile, Mayor de Blasio has spoken out against a previous effort by the alliance to regulate the structure.
FULL STORY: Well-funded community group poised to block major Midtown development

Maui's Vacation Rental Debate Turns Ugly
Verbal attacks, misinformation campaigns and fistfights plague a high-stakes debate to convert thousands of vacation rentals into long-term housing.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

San Francisco Suspends Traffic Calming Amidst Record Deaths
Citing “a challenging fiscal landscape,” the city will cease the program on the heels of 42 traffic deaths, including 24 pedestrians.

Cleveland to Boost Bike Safety With New Bike Lanes, School Programs
The program, using curriculum created by Cleveland Bikes, is part of a broader effort to improve safety along school routes.

Florida Home Insurers Disproportionately Dropping Low-Income Households
Non-renewal rates are highest in inland counties, not the coastal areas most immediately vulnerable to storms.

Half of Post-Fire Altadena Home Sales Were to Corporations
Large investors are quietly buying up dozens of properties in Altadena, California, where a devastating wildfire destroyed more than 6,000 homes in January.
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