CPC Resources and Isaac Katan paid nearly $600,000 in lobbying fees in 2005 and 2006, most of which went to nudging the Planning Department to rezone the Domino Sugar Refinery for residential use. A spokesman for the developers says the lion’s share of that money was spent on correspondence with planners. Critics of the redevelopment, however, say Planning shouldn’t push through a rezoning because thousands of new residents will overwhelm the area. Preservations, meanwhile, contend that the amount of money the developers have spent on lobbying invalidates the claim that they won’t be able to preserve the building with the Domino Sugar sign. Half a mil may sounds like a lot of cash, it’s just a drop in the bucket compared to the overall project cost of $1.2 billion.
Domino Developers $weet on Lobbyists [NY Post]
BREAKING! LPC Approves Historic Designation for Domino! [Brownstoner]
CPC Shows and Tells Its Plans for Domino [Brownstoner]
Plans for ‘New Domino’ Released by City Planning [Brownstoner]
Domino photo by GlenShock.