NEW YORK, NY May 12, 2008 —Tall, narrow hotels with names like THOR and Blue have sprouted up recently on the Lower East Side, but the Bloomberg administration is striking back.

A rezoning proposal that would cap building heights to about eight stories in most of the neighborhood gets its first airing at a community board hearing tonight.

Although the proposal would permit slightly larger buildings throughout the East Village and Lower East Side, there are currently no height limits. That means developers have been buying unused air rights from next door and constructing buildings 20 stories high or more.

The community board will make its recommendations over the next two months. The City Council must approve the rezoning before it becomes law.