NEW YORK - The city Department of Buildings has changed its mind and will revoke permits for a supertall tower in Manhattan.
The development company Extell is planning a proposed 775-foot tall skyscraper at 50 West 66th Street near Lincoln Center.
Elected officials and advocacy groups slammed the project, saying the architects had found a loophole to make the building taller than it should be.
The theory is that a high floor apartment is worth more because the view is better.
So the design calls for putting the upper floors of the building on stilts. They would do that by building a mechanical room closer to the building's base.
The mechanical room proposed had a 150 foot high ceiling, not because there’s a 150 foot tall piece of machinery. But because that high ceiling lifts the rest of the building higher.
The adjustment makes the view that much better in every apartment above.
One of the challengers has been Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer who said, "This is a victory not only for the Upper West Side, but for communities all over the city that find themselves outgunned by developers who try to bend or break zoning rules."