On Wednesday afternoon, the City Council approved the planned Williamsburg waterfront development, a make-or-break vote that came after a scramble of last-minute lobbying and a boost of the affordable-housing levels.

Two weeks ago, the project looked poised for a rare defeat, given that the developer had failed to woo the local councilman, Steve Levin, and the project had drawn fire from leaders of a politically influential faction of Satmar Hasidic Jews in Williamsburg.

In the end, the developer, Isack Rosenberg, committed to set aside 30 percent of the apartments as below market rate, an unusually high number for a project that has not been earmarked for any discretionary subsidies to do so. Mr. Levin voted for the project on Wednesday.

Mr. Rosenberg has owned the site—the home of Certified Lumber—for three decades, and presumably has more wiggle room on the finances than the typical developer that bought land within the past few years.

A spokesman for Mr. Rosenberg, Loren Riegelhaupt, called the vote "a victory for smart development and the thoughtful leaders who came together to help ensure the vitality and continued growth of our city and borough."

ebrown@observer.com