Council, Solow prepare to battle over East River project

City Council members are examining billionaire developer Sheldon Solow’s proposed seven residential towers at a 9.2-acre East River site. City Council member Daniel Garodnick plans to try to reduce the towers’ height and density. Solow has already spent more than $1.8 million on lobbyists and land-use legal expenses to move the project along, and has also made some concessions, including lowering the height of buildings, leaving space for a public school, and setting aside as many as 600 of the apartments as affordable units.