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
Bloomberg Gives East Midtown Rezoning One Last Push, But Will City Council Budge?
After rezoning 37 percent of New York City, Mayor Bloomberg is pursuing one last major rezoning plan before he leaves office. But will a lame duck Council speaker and her colleagues grant the mayor a final victory?
To Remain Competitive, NYC Should Bolster Placemaking, Not Its Skyline
Michael Kimmelman comes out against the plan to rezone a 73-block area around Grand Central Terminal to allow the replacement of "aging commercial buildings with giant new office towers". The city should focus on planning, not zoning, he argues.
Property Owners Jostle for Deals After Midtown East Rezoning
A flurry of air rights purchases have already begun as large property owners take advantage of Midtown East's upzoning. Some big names include JPMorgan Chase and the Archdiocese of New York.
Alabama: Trump Terminates Settlements for Black Communities Harmed By Raw Sewage
Trump deemed the landmark civil rights agreement “illegal DEI and environmental justice policy.”
Study: Maui’s Plan to Convert Vacation Rentals to Long-Term Housing Could Cause Nearly $1 Billion Economic Loss
The plan would reduce visitor accommodation by 25% resulting in 1,900 jobs lost.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
Wind Energy on the Rise Despite Federal Policy Reversal
The Trump administration is revoking federal support for renewable energy, but demand for new projects continues unabated.
Passengers Flock to Caltrain After Electrification
The new electric trains are running faster and more reliably, leading to strong ridership growth on the Bay Area rail system.
Texas Churches Rally Behind ‘Yes in God’s Back Yard’ Legislation
Religious leaders want the state to reduce zoning regulations to streamline leasing church-owned land to housing developers.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Caltrans
Smith Gee Studio
Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)
City of Grandview
Harvard GSD Executive Education
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions
Salt Lake City
NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service