City Council Considers Task Force To Study Impact Of Megatowers Casting Shadows On Central Park

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- The New York City Council is considering creating a task force to address the impacts of shadows from megatowers over Central Park.

The Committee on Parks and Recreation held a hearing on the issue Thursday.

Super tall residential towers near the south side of Central Park are topping out at over 1,000 feet, and more are in the works.

Kate Slevin of the Municipal Arts Society said each additional super tall skyscraper will cast a shadow that could reach a half a mile long at certain times of the day and year.

"Most of them are being constructed as of right (now) without any public or environmental review," Slevin said.

Kate Wood of the group Landmark West said the buildings could have a negative impact on the fauna of the park.

"The feeding frenzy of real estate developers must not be allowed to damage the jewel of New York City," Wood said.

But Luke Wilson of the architectural firm Kohn Pedersen Fox, which works on the high-rises, said people aren't looking at the cumulative effect of these shadows, 1010 WINS' Steve Kastenbaum reported.

"Tall, skinny buildings have a much smaller new shadow duration impact as compared to the short wide buildings," Wilson said.

Under a bill sponsored by Councilman Mark Levine, the task force would study the issue and report back at the end of every year.