An analysis of New York's top real estate news by TRD's Kathryn Brenzel

From left: Bill de Blasio, mayor of New York City; Brad Lander, New York City comptroller; and Ben Kallos, New York City council member (Getty Images, Wikipedia/INSIDER IMAGES, Friends of the Upper East Side)

No, member deference is not dead. Not yet, anyway.

In what was the most interesting City Council meeting I have watched, maybe ever, much was made about whether a vote in favor of the New York Blood Center would put Council tradition on life support. (This is my last blood center pun, I promise.)

Council member Kalman Yeger, alternating between being complementary and insulting, said the issue was not whether fellow Council member Ben Kallos was dumb or smart, a good council member or not. The issue was respect for the constituents who decided he was the best person to represent their interests. For that reason, he voted against the blood center’s redevelopment. He said he does not like the plan for the Gowanus rezoning, but was going to vote in its favor, out of respect for local Council member Brad Lander and those who voted him into office.

Council member Carlos Menchaca, responsible for the death of the Industry City rezoning, also spoke in favor of member deference. He voted against the blood center rezoning, and then, for some reason that apparently overpowered the importance of deferring to Lander, also voted against the Gowanus rezoning.

The debate over the New York Blood Center defied the tradition of member deference largely because the project was framed as a matter of citywide interest. It became about all New Yorkers, versus the wealthy neighboring residents concerned about shadows the building would cast on their home. That sentiment was captured, perhaps most brutally, by Council member Daneek Miller, who said Kallos was “blinded by the enclaves of privilege.”

The project also had the backing of the de Blasio administration. Had it not been for these two things, I do not think the Council would have unified against Kallos the way it did.

Which brings me to my point: This vote does not necessarily spell the end of member deference. Tuesday’s vote marks the first time that a Council has voted against the explicit wishes of a local Council member since 2009. It is hard to believe, but 2009 indeed was more than a decade ago. That vote, against then-Council member David Yassky, did not upheave the land use review process, and I suspect Kallos’ loss will prove the same. It will likely mean, however, that Kallos’ name will be mentioned quite a bit the next time a tradition-defying vote takes place.

This is not to say that member deference will stick forever: We’re getting a brand new City Council next year that may decide to shake things up.

What we’re thinking about: Who is the buyer of this 65th-floor pad at 432 Park Avenue? Send a note to kathryn@therealdeal.com.

Programming note: The Daily Dirt is taking a wee break, and will return Nov. 29. Safe travels, and happy Thanksgiving!

CLOSING TIME

Residential: The priciest residential closing recorded Tuesday was $22.5 million for a townhouse at 334 West 20th Street in Chelsea.

Commercial: The most expensive commercial closing of the day was $192 million for a retail condo at 530 5th Avenue in Midtown.

BREAKING GROUND

The largest new building filing of the day was for a 167,000-square-foot, mixed-use building at 164 Fourth Avenue in Gowanus, Brooklyn. Roee Wiczyk of Heron Fourth Ave LLC filed the permit application.

NEW TO THE MARKET

The priciest residence to hit the market was a condo at 251 West 91st Street on the Upper West Side at $12 million. Reuveni Real Estate has the listing.

— Research by Orion Jones

TRD's new podcast "Deconstruct" is essential listening for understanding the great, big world of real estate. Be sure to subscribe to the podcast and check out this week's episode about the developers bidding on the site of the Surfside condo collapse.

A thing we've learned...

Roughy 11,000 oysters, bred to have three sets of chromosomes, were recently stolen from study areas in Napeague Harbor and Great South Bay in Islip, according to the East Hampton Star. Thank you to Erik Engquist for passing this along.

Elsewhere in New York

— Mayor Bill de Blasio is calling on Gov. Kathy Hochul to require MTA workers to get vaccinated, Politico New York reports. Seventy percent of transit workers have submitted proof of vaccination. “Gov. Hochul, here’s an opportunity to do something that will really help New York City: Put a mandate in place for MTA employees. It’s time to do it,” de Blasio said. The governor rejected the proposal when asked about it Tuesday.

— At the end of this year, Steven Banks will step down as the city's social services commissioner, Gothamist reports. "Commissioner Banks has had a long and impressive public service career dedicated to helping homeless and low-income New Yorkers, having brought and resolved landmark litigation on their behalf and worked from inside City government to shepherd critical reforms in recent years," said Dave Giffen, executive director of Coalition for the Homeless. But the number of homeless people sleeping in shelters jumped significantly during his tenure, rising from a monthly average of 53,000 in 2014 to 63,000 in 2018. The numbers have since fallen, largely due to the statewide eviction moratorium.

— The City Council is expected to pass a measure that would allow noncitizens who hold green cards or have the legal right to work in the U.S. to vote in local elections, the New York Times reports. The vote is slated for Dec. 9.

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