After years of failed attempts to transform the defunct

Walentas said previously that he’d already included enough affordable housing and called the mayor’s demands “not workable.” He threatened to scrap this plan and revert to

The deal was also lauded by housing advocates, and advocates for the poor. “This is the kind of initiative the city should be taking to ensure that the affordable housing component in major developments is maximized,” said David R. Jones, president of the Community Service Society of New York. “The mayor has raised the bar for future developments and signaled that he intends to fully incorporate affordable housing into his policy vision.”

This high profile back-and-forth between Walentas and de Blasio represents a dramatic shift in city development, and city politics. But the mayor’s approach to Domino should not come as a surprise. He did exactly what he promised during his insurgent mayoral campaign.

While the progressive mayor has frequently critiqued developers for building so many “multi-million dollar condos” for the global elite, he’s made it clear that his affordable housing agenda relies on increased development.

According to the New York Daily News, de Blasio told a group of developers at a closed-door event, “The only way I can achieve my [affordable housing] goals is if we are building and building aggressively.”

The 11-acre Domino plan is certainly aggressive, and so were de Blasio’s demands. While neither side got exactly what they wanted, the project will move forward—taller and more affordable.