Sally Goldenberg reports for Politico:

Most developers proposing substantial new construction in New York City can expect a fair amount of opposition from residents trying to fend off changes to their neighborhoods.

Rarely is that opposition so organized and well-funded that it succeeds in upending the plans of a developer who isn’t even seeking city approval for a land use change.

But that is what’s happening in a residential neighborhood in Midtown. A community organization known as the East River Fifties Alliance is on the verge of blocking an 800-foot-tall tower planned for East 58th Street in Manhattan.

While many of the city’s zoning fights pit disjointed community groups against well-funded developers, this fight is better matched. The city’s powerful real estate lobby supports the project, while the alliance — a group of wealthy and motivated East Side residents — want it stopped.

The alliance’s application, which has the backing of the area’s politicians, drew dozens of supporters and foes to a packed public hearing of the City Planning Commission Wednesday.

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