Proponents of the plan to eliminate the state cap on the size of residential buildings in New York City, including Mayor de Blasio and the Real Estate Board of NY, have failed to get the measure included in the Assembly version of the state budget (it was included in the State Senate version), thus killing it for now.  Village Preservation has been working with State Senator Liz Krueger and a citywide coalition of groups to oppose the plan, and earlier this month sent out an alert generating hundreds of letters to state assemblymembers in opposition to the plan.
 
The current state cap on the size of residential buildings has still allowed 1,500-foot tall towers in New York City.  With the cap lifted, the sky could literally be the limit for the size of residential buildings, and Mayor de Blasio would no doubt seek to radically upzone many of our neighborhoods to allow these absurd levels of density.
 
This victory, in keeping the plan out of the Assembly version of the state budget, does not mean that it is no longer a threat. The forces of big real estate and the Mayor may seek to get this measure passed as a stand-alone bill or in conjunction with other measures passed before the end of the state legislative session in June. Village Preservation and our allies will remain vigilant to ensure this outrageous measure is not passed, especially in the dead of night as such measures often are in Albany.