Last-Minute Push for Approval of Domino Design Before Mayor Leaves Office

Two Trees is seeking approval for SHoP’s unexpected design for the Domino complex from city planning before Amanda Burden steps down and Bloomberg leaves office. Approvals after that will have to wait at least a year while the new mayor appoints commissions, according to a story in Crain’s. While the design has been met with much more critical and public acclaim than the previous plan, Burden’s approval is by no means certain, said the story.

The scheme deviates considerably from what Ms. Burden spent years crafting up and down the East River waterfront, and Two Trees is struggling to bring her around to its proposal, according to sources. Two Trees had hoped its 2,200 apartments on the site would have been certified by June—the first step in the six-month review process. Now, with negotiations ongoing, the developer hopes for a September certification. That would still leave enough time for Ms. Burden and the planning commission to approve the project, but it would fall to local Councilman Stephen Levin to shepherd Domino through the City Council next year.

The new plan calls for much higher towers than the old one — 60 stories instead of 30- and 40-story towers — but allows more open space and light, with more public access to the waterfront. The new design is more playful and imaginative than the old one, with towers with cutouts in the middle.

Developers Push for Approvals Before Bloomberg Leaves [Crain’s]
Rendering by SHoP