A 4-story billboard could light up Herald Square. Manhattan’s borough president urges city to reject special permit

A developer's plan to install a four-story LED billboard overlooking Herald Square is facing fresh opposition from Manhattan Borough President Brad Hoylman-Sigal, who has joined the local community board in urging the city to reject the proposal over concerns about its impact on nearby apartments, including hundreds in a building owned by the developer's family. The plan would require the city to change its zoning rules to allow a 2,333-square-foot advertising display on Herald Center, across from Macy's. The developer argues that the sign could help revive the area's struggling retail corridor, while Community Board 5 says the applicant offered to consider blackout shades for tenants bothered by the light. The proposal now heads to the City Planning Commission, which is scheduled to hold a public hearing Wednesday, Oct. 28. JEMB Realty, through an affiliated company, wants to install the billboard at Herald Center, a nine-story commercial building at 1293 Broadway. The developer's