#Sensible court rulings enable NYC recovery

Common sense has broken out as loony anti-development “logic” lost in a key pair of court cases.

Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Katherine Levine ruled that the city can move ahead with rezoning of an area near the Gowanus Canal after the Department of City Planning agreed to hold public hearings on the plan in-person as well as virtually. (Opponents sought to kill the project by claiming now-ubiquitous online hearings don’t count at all.)

That paves the way for the city to go ahead to build thousands of affordable apartments near the Gowanus, while the community also gains new park space along a cleaner canal.

Plus, an appeals court struck down the order for developers to lop off 20 floors of the 52-story residential tower at 200 Amsterdam Ave. Area residents contended that developers had illegally used air rights from another property, and the trial judge bought it, ignoring what the appellate court called the city’s “rational interpretation” of the zoning laws.

It’s great to see common sense winning. Real-estate development is a jobs creator — and with those good-paying jobs come tax revenue for the city. And Gotham needs all the action it can get after a devastating year of lockdowns and stagnation.