City Council Unanimously Approves East Midtown Rezoning Proposal

City Council Unanimously Approves East Midtown Rezoning Proposal

After years of study, planning, and deliberation, the New York City Council has approved the East Midtown Rezoning proposal by a vote of 42-0. Under its provisions, 78 blocks of East Midtown, including roughly one-third of our district, will be zoned for larger, more modern structures, allowing it to remain a competitive center for international commerce.

In an e-mail City Council Member Dan Garodnick, who helped spearhead the effort, wrote of the importance of this proposal:


Here’s why the East Midtown Rezoning is so vital for our community and our city:

  • Generates 6.5 million square feet in much-needed, modern commercial office space... over the next 20 years;
  • Directly improves area subways in connection to development, with approximately half a billion dollars in private funding for specific upgrades as developers build new office buildings. (Note: A landlord will not be able to occupy a new building until the associated transit improvements are complete.)
  • Delivers hundreds of millions of dollars for street-level public space improvements, including a $50 million upfront investment from the City;...
  • Allows area historic landmarks to sell 3.6 million square feet of unused air rights, with the proceeds going to the preservation of their historic structures;
  • Creates 28,000 new permanent jobs and over 23,000 construction jobs in the next two decades.

Our thanks and appreciation go to Council Member Garodnick, Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer, Mayor Bill de Blasio, Deputy Mayor Alicia Glen, the Department of City Planning, and all the many other participants in this long process.