Mayor Bloomberg's plan to rezone 73 blocks of East Midtown Manhattan and allow buildings larger than the Chrysler Building fell apart yesterday when the City Council rejected it. He withdrew the proposal after Council members made it clear they were not satisfied with the plans. "We remain concerned with the price, methodology, and timing of the air rights to be sold by the city," said Speaker Quinn. "We are also concerned with the certainty and funding level of the needed infrastructure improvements, which includes both above and below grade needs." Developers would have poured hundreds of millions of dollars into transit improvements. Mayor-elect Bill de Blasio said he looks forward to rezoning the neighborhood in a way that ensures "real and fair benefits for the people of New York City." The stalled plans may be a boon for large projects in other neighborhoods like those in Hudson Yards and Lower Manhattan.
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