NYC Planning Commission: Museum of Modern Art tower must be redesigned shorter by 200 feet

NYC planners: cut 200 feet from MoMA tower design

NEW YORK — New York City’s Planning Commission says a proposed tower next to the Museum of Modern Art is too high.

The commission approved the tower Wednesday — on the condition that its asymmetrical peak be cut 200 feet. As conceived by world-renowned architect Jean Nouvel, it would have soared as high as the Empire State Building.

While praising the design, the commission said it did not meet the aesthetic criteria to compete with the city’s other famous buildings.

Plans for the tower call for museum exhibition space plus a luxury hotel and apartments.

The museum told the Daily News it’s confident the project will contribute greatly to the city’s architectural heritage and economy.