[LouisVanDerWright]

^^^ Exactly, technically the key to eliminating perogative is to empower city agencies to actually do what they are in theory there to do. In other words Zoning theoretically exists to determine whether a project complies with existing zoning or whether a zoning change is reasonable (i.e. if you apply for zoning change, they actually already review the change and will say "oh this makes sense because it's an existing commercial building that's been zoned RT-4, but is right next to B3-2 zoning, of course that's reasonable to change to B3-2). The issue is that technically city council then has to vote on everything.

By disjointing city council's absolute control of the final say and empowering Zoning to make reasonable decisions without city council, you eliminate the ability of aldermen to abuse perogative by holding up what would otherwise be eminently reasonable projects. For big changes that are above and beyond what Zoning thinks is reasonable, then yeah of course we should have a public debate and let the aldermen or city council have input, but when you are asking to get a six flat that's been there for 120 years and is for some reason zoned M1-2 rezoned to B2-2 or something, the alderman shouldn't be able to say jack shit. That's a no brainer that should be no more than a rubber stamp for a bureaucrat.