The City Council Land Use Committee on Zoning and Franchises voted today to approve a modified plan from Sheldon H. Solow's East River Realty Company for the redevelopment of 9.2 acres of former Con Edison properties south of the United Nations along First Avenue.

Mr. Solow acquired the property about seven years ago and originally proposed of a 864-foot-high office and residential tower on the southeast corner of First Avenue and 41st Street, a 528-foot-foot residential tower further east on 41st Street, a 836-foot tower on the west side of First Avenue between 39th and 40th Streets, a 792-foot-high tower on the southeast corner of First Avenue and 39th Street and a 578-foot-high tower further east on 39th Street and two residential towers east of First Avenue between 35th and 36th Streets.

The United Nations Secretariat Building, one of the city's and the world's most important landmarks, is 505 feet tall.

Richard Meier and Skidmore Owings Merrill are the architects of the project.

The main group of towers would have been clustered around a large ice-skating rink and pavilion and a central, landscaped plaza. The plan called also called for 4,324,635 square feet of residential space, 1,119,979 square feet of office space, 1,183 public parking spaces and 376 accessory spaces, 40,433 square feet of retail space and 60,725 square feet of community facility use and 3.44 acres of open space.

Community Board 6 submitted its own development plan for the site that called for lower buildings, no commercial office space, the inclusion of affordable housing, a school, and public ownership of cross-streets, shadow studies and a comprehensive plan that envisions the removal of the 42nd Street exit ramp from the FDR Drive and the decking over of the drive to create new park land and waterfront access.

Mr. Solow subsequently made significant revisions to the plan that included lowering the heights of many of the towers and repositioning the major park space closer to the eastern edge of the site.

In January, the City Planning Commission approved a modified plan that further reduced the tallest building from 721 feet to 600 feet and reduced the number of parking spaces.

Under the plan approved by the committee today, five acres of open space on the site will be preserved and the tallest building will now be 595 feet high.

Councilman Dan Garodnick, who represents the affected neighborhood, said that the plan is now "a truly sensible development" and has been amended "to address every area of concern put forward by the local community, while clearing the way for development that will bring significant revenue to the City and create thousands of new jobs."

The plan will provide a new public school for the neighborhood, ground-level retail on First Avenue and $10 million toward the creation of a new waterfront park as well as easements necessary for future access to the park.

The affordable housing plan previously agreed to by ERRC has been revised to include an option for moderate- and middle-income housing, in addition to low-income housing. It will represent at least 20 percent of the new residential space, at approximately 579 units, which will comprise both on-site new construction and permanently preserving the affordability of existing units in the neighborhood.

New modifications approved today will reduce shadows cast by the new buildings on Tudor City Greens and St. Vartan's Park. In addition, the school will now front First Avenue instead of its proposed location adjacent to the FDR Drive.

The new plan also creates a performing arts space on the eastern side of the building -- programmed by an independent not-for-profit organization -- to ensure that there is activity on nights and weekends.