Planning Commission approves huge Solow project near UN

The city Planning Commission has approved developer Sheldon Solow’s massive plans for 4,000 apartments near the United Nations, sparking criticisms that it is not heeding community concerns. While the project was scaled down by about 20 percent and more retail has been added, public access to the East River has not changed. “We are locked away in this city and don’t know how to relate to the waterfront,” said the president of the Metropolitan Waterfront Alliance, Roland Lewis. “We can’t have the waterfront be a front yard to the condo owners there.” Daniel Garodnick, who represents the area in the City Council, said, “We have enormous concerns about the potential impact of this development.”