Community

The way Ben Kallos, who represents District 5 in N.Y.C.'s City Council, sees it, towers looming more than 500 feet in a residential area — or, approximately 50 stories tall — have been putting residents in the dark for too long. To help solve this problem, the councilman will be holding a community forum tomorrow to discuss implementing a cap on super-tall buildings within residential areas.

City Councilman Ben Kallos is fed up with super tall skyscrapers he says are leaving Upper East Side residents in the dark — literally.

City Councilman Ben Kallos allocated $38,500 from his budget to put toward the esplanade project, which is also receiving another $3 million from Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito. Kallos serves on the East River Esplanade Task Force, which advocates for improvements to the park.  

The Council’s allocation for the project “should be over and above any previous funding commitments,” said Kallos spokeswoman Sarah Anders. “It is great that the Council has made this such a high priority, because open space on the East Side is so rare and very much needed.”