By Jennifer R Jones | Posted on October 29, 2009 10:30 AM
A Brief Look At What The New York City Council Accomplishes: Allowing The Moma To Build An 82-Story Tower, Increasing Unattended Parking Fees, And More
A Day In The Life Of The New York City Council
Ever wonder what the New York City Council is up to, or, more specifically, what exactly it is that they do? For starters, yesterday they gave clearance for New York’s MOMA (The Museum of Modern Art) to build an 82-story tower on West 53rd Street between 5th and 6th Avenues as part of the museum’s expansion.
The 1000-foot-high tower will add 40,000 feet of new gallery space (a 30 percent increase), as well as 150 residential apartments and 100 hotel rooms. It will be on the same block as the current museum building. What else has the New York City Council been doing with its time? Well, you should no longer leave your car keys in the ignition while you stroll away to check out a store window--if indeed you had ever contemplated doing such a thing.
From Parking Fees To Building Towers
Not only is it foolish (thieves, people) but it's also dangerous—unattended cars and vans have killed several people as they either rolled backwards or were stolen and then hit someone. Leaving your car unattended can also be pricey--the fine has been increased from $5 (really? that’s all?) to $250.
Finally (busy day, apparently) the City Council took on advertising rules for businesses selling loan advice to people at the risk of foreclosure—the measure now requires print ads to disclose state regulations that govern the industry. (And they didn’t before?) So ask not what your City Council does, New York—it passes random measures on just about anything.
