NEW YORK, NY January 19, 2005 —The City Council is expected to overwhelmingly approve a rezoning plan for the far West Side of Manhattan today. WNYC's Andrea Bernstein reports.

The plan includes new office towers, parks, housing and an extension of the number seven line. The city council says the plan will lead to the construction of thousands of units of affordable housing. It also says the financing plan will save taxpayers a billion dollars as compared to a Bloomberg administration proposal. It does require city investment before tax dollars start coming in from the project. The plan does not include a proposed west side stadium. That plan is subject to state approvals and is expected to face its final hurdle by the middle of next month.

Meanwhile a Washington think tank finds a glut of convention space. But city officials maintain the proposed stadium/convention center will draw plenty of interest. For WNYC, I'm Andrea Bernstein.