The database here includes all laws, important land use decisions, and significant resolutions passed by the New York City Council since January 2002. Use the search options to the right to find bills by year, topic, keyword and/or bill number. Also see how each council member voted and if the mayor signed or vetoed the legislation.
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CATHEDRAL OF ST. JOHN THE DIVINE LANDMARK STATUS
(L.U. 508)Introduced: 2003
Passed City Council: October 24, 2003
Mayor Veto: October 30, 2003
City Council Override: November 11, 2003
This measure rejects landmark status for the Cathedral of St. John the Divine, the world’s largest Gothic cathedral located on the Upper West Side. It was only the third time since the Landmark Preservation Commission was created in 1965 that the council has overturned a landmark status recommendation. The issue was not whether the 111-year-old cathedral should be preserved. The problem, council members contended, was that the action applied only the church structure itself. The 11-acre grounds surrounding the church were not included. St. John the Divine has plans to develop the area around the church and lease it to Columbia University. Current regulations would allow two buildings up to 20 stories high to be built on the property. Church officials said that they need the money from the lease to keep the institution running and estimated that the church currently needs $20 million in repairs.
How Councilmembers Voted (second vote):
45-Yes 0-No 0-Abstain 5-Absent
| Name | Party | District | Vote |
| Joseph P. Addabbo, Jr. | Democrat | 32 | Yes |
| Tony Avella | Democrat | 19 | Yes |
| Maria Baez | Democrat | 14 | Absent |
| Charles Barron | Democrat | 42 | Yes |
| Tracy L. Boyland | Democrat | 41 | Yes |
| Gale A. Brewer | Democrat | 6 | Yes |
| Yvette D. Clarke | Democrat | 40 | Yes |
| Leroy G. Comrie, Jr. | Democrat | 27 | Yes |
| Bill de Blasio | Democrat | 39 | Yes |
| Erik Martin Dilan | Democrat | 37 | Yes |
| Pedro Espada, Jr. | Independence | 18 | Yes |
| Simcha Felder | Democrat | 44 | Absent |
| Lewis A. Fidler | Democrat | 46 | Yes |
| Helen D. Foster | Democrat | 16 | Yes |
| Dennis P. Gallagher | Republican | 30 | Yes |
| James F. Gennaro | Democrat | 24 | Yes |
| Vincent J. Gentile | Democrat | 43 | Yes |
| Alan Gerson | Democrat | 1 | Yes |
| Eric N. Gioia | Democrat | 26 | Yes |
| Sara M. Gonzalez | Democrat | 38 | Absent |
| Robert Jackson | Democrat | 7 | Yes |
| Allan W. Jennings, Jr. | Democrat | 28 | Yes |
| Melinda R. Katz | Democrat | 29 | Yes |
| G. Oliver Koppell | Democrat | 11 | Yes |
| Andrew J. Lanza | Republican | 51 | Yes |
| John C. Liu | Democrat | 20 | Yes |
| Margarita Lopez | Democrat | 2 | Yes |
| Miguel Martinez | 10 | Yes | |
| Michael E. McMahon | Democrat | 49 | Absent |
| Gifford Miller | Democrat | 5 | Yes |
| Hiram Monserrate | Democrat | 21 | Yes |
| Eva Moskowitz | 4 | Yes | |
| Michael C. Nelson | Democrat | 48 | Yes |
| James S. Oddo | Republican | 50 | Yes |
| Bill Perkins | Democrat | 9 | Yes |
| Madeline T. Provenzano | Democrat | 13 | Absent |
| Christine C. Quinn | Democrat | 3 | Yes |
| Domenic M. Recchia, Jr. | Democrat | 47 | Yes |
| Philip Reed | Democrat | 8 | Yes |
| Diana Reyna | Democrat | 34 | Yes |
| Joel Rivera | Democrat | 15 | Yes |
| James Sanders, Jr. | Democrat | 31 | Yes |
| Larry B. Seabrook | Democrat | 12 | Yes |
| Helen Sears | Democrat | 25 | Yes |
| Jose M. Serrano | Democrat | 17 | Yes |
| Kendall Stewart | Democrat | 45 | Yes |
| Peter F. Vallone, Jr. | Democrat | 22 | Yes |
| Albert Vann | Democrat | 36 | Yes |
| David I. Weprin | Democrat | 23 | Yes |
| David Yassky | Democrat | 33 | Yes |