Bulk zoning may be doomed.

They aren't dead yet, but some people familiar with proposed zoning reforms under consideration by the city Planning Commission claim the reforms are clinging to life by a thread, according to a published report.

The proposed changes, contained in a document called the Unified Bulk Program, have not been officially withdrawn from consideration. But many real estate executives, several city council members, a senior official at City Hall and a planning commissioner are saying privately that the measure is dead, according to a report in The New York Times.

Steven Spinola, president of the Real Estate Board of New York, said he is still monitoring the progress of the proposal, which the board has strenuously opposed.

"We are pleased to see for the moment that it doesn't seem to be moving forward," Spinola said.

When contacted last week, Planning Commission Chairman Joseph Rose denied reports that the proposals are dead.

Rose said the commission is planning to hold another public hearing on the issue in January to discuss revisions. The commission had faced a Nov. 6 deadline for voting on the proposal but decided to postpone taking action on it. "Unified bulk is very much alive," he promised.

The overriding goal of the reforms is to specify what is permitted in each zoning district while allowing enough flexibility for architectural innovation. The changes are meant to eliminate buildings drastically out of scale with others in the same neighborhood, the most recent and frequently cited example of which is the 856-foot-high Trump World Tower at First Avenue and 47th Street.

For the first time in New York City's history, the reforms would introduce a coherent system for determining height limits. The rules are intended to be neutral with respect to "floor-area ratio," meaning developers will be permitted to build as much floor area as they could under the old rules.

The City Council must also approve the proposed changes, which are the most the extensive ones proposed since 1961 when the rules were completely rewritten.

The reforms have been supported from a variety of civic and industry groups, which view them as a way to overhaul the dense and confusing set of rules that currently govern development. Proponents like Kent Barwick, president of the Municipal Art Society, are hoping the reforms will pass. Barwick, like others, say much of the opposition is coming from a small, but powerful, group of individuals.

"We think this is needed and necessary. I think a lot of people support this," Barwick. "There's only a handful that oppose it."

Among the most prominent of the opponents are from the real estate industry, which contributes heavily to both city council and mayoral candidates. Bernard Mendik, chairman of the Real Estate Board of New York, and a close friend of Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, reportedly waged a strong campaign against the reforms. Leonard Litwin and Donald Zucker, two major residential landlords, joined Mendik in his fight.

Giuliani has had little to say publicly about the initiative, and many have been questioning his silence on the issue. Some claim his reticence indicates a lack of support, saying the mayor would have initiated a campaign in favor of Unified Bulk if he had supported it.

Walter McCaffrey, chairman of the council's zoning subcommittee, said the lack of an endorsement signals trouble for the proposal.

"It's [City Hall's] proposal and, if they're not strongly pushing it, it indicates a great weakness in the proposal," McCaffrey.

Others, like Barwick, said it is impossible to determine the mayor's stance until he speaks publicly about it. Barwick added that Giuliani has tackled similar types of problems during his tenure as mayor.

"Until he speaks, everybody will speculate about what's on his mind," he said. "I think Giuliani has shown an impatience for business as usual. He's shown that he can step in and create a fair set of new ru1es."