While yes the taller design looks better, the average person is never going to think about any of this. They're just going to think "damn that building is really tall" and move on. City policy is not about catering to building nerds on this forum, no matter how much many people here wish it was. These are condos for the ultra-ultra-wealthy, they do nothing for the housing crisis, and the city gets to say it cares about park space by protecting the most sacred park of all (or whatever, I do think the obsession with this park is a bit silly, but I also understand its more about precedent than this specific park). They really don't have much to lose here from a PR perspective other than upsetting the developer and a few people who are obsessed with tall buildings.