THE CONSTRUCTION OF TWO TOWERS, TWICE THE HEIGHT OF SURROUNDING BUILDINGS, DID NOT VIOLATE THE NYC ZONING RESOLUTION, THEREFORE THE NYC PLANNING COMMISSION’S APPROVAL OF THE PROJECT WITHOUT THE NEED FOR A SPECIAL PERMIT WAS NOT ARBITRARY AND CAPRICIOUS (FIRST DEPT).

The First Department, in a full-fledged opinion by Justice Gesmer, reversing Supreme Court, determined the proposed construction of two towers, twice the height of the surrounding buildings, did not violate the zoning resolution  (ZR). Therefore the approval of the construction by the NYC Planning Commission (CPC) without the need for a special permit was not arbitrary and capricious:

… [T]he ZR authorizes the CPC to issue special permits in the enumerated categories only where a waiver or modification of particular ZR provisions is necessary. It is undisputed that none of those categories applies here. The CPC reviewed the applications and the prior special permits and determined that no new special permit was or could be required under any applicable ZR provision. “We accord deference to the Commission’s rational” interpretation of the ZR … . Accepting petitioners’ argument that a special permit is nevertheless required “would result in the judicial enactment of a new restriction . . . not found in the Zoning Resolution” … . Matter of Council of the City of N.Y. v Department of City Planning of the City of N.Y., 2020 NY Slip Op 04812, First Dept 8-27-20