It is not uncommon for such votes to follow heated debate and controversy, but after an early agreement over the number of low-income apartments, there was little opposition to the landmark designation, other than the wishes of some preservationists that it extend further.
The winner was selected through the city's uncommon ranked-choice voting system, which is thought to save money on expensive runoff elections and elect the most broadly supported candidate.
(Such tactics are not uncommon; in the past, votes were said to have been sent in from dead people, and copies of one candidate's ancient rap sheet, from his teenage years, were slipped under doors).
It is not at all uncommon to see split votes when a court deals with a contentious issue of moral principle like affirmative action, abortion or pornography.
Even during elections it is not uncommon to see tribes voting exclusively for their own family members.
Although it's not at all unusual for business interests to spend that kind of money at City Hall, it is uncommon for a City Council vote to get so much grass-roots attention. .
A 40-minute wait to vote was not uncommon.
Waiting for hours to vote is not uncommon in many African countries.
The BBC's Maud Jullien in the capital, Kinshasa, says it is uncommon for the senate to vote against the government in this way - the last time was 2010.
But such a staggering is not uncommon in the case of merger votes.
