The one where a brand-new Land Use Committee gavels in and rubber-stamps a Midtown skyscraper in minutes

Rafael Salamanca, Jr. gavels in the first Committee on Land Use meeting of the term, thanking outgoing zoning chair Riley and welcoming the new landmarks chair Lewis. The substantive business is brief: two preconsidered special permits for a new Class A office building at 415 Madison Avenue in Majority Leader Powers' district. One permit trades a public concourse for a floor-area bonus; the other waives East Midtown height and setback rules. Powers backs it, counsel reports no raised hands, and the committee adopts it 13-0 with a lone design tweak protecting public seating from future artwork.