Next to the commercial, manufacturing, mixed use and special purpose district, the residence district exists. A residence district is a territory which is occupied by private residences. Residences can be designed for one family, two families or multiple families.
A house designed for one family is maintained and used by a single family. Likewise, a residence designed for two families contains two dwellings and is occupied by two families. A family residence which is built for multiple families consists of a minimum of three houses.
Other examples of districts are commercial, industrial, agricultural or a mixture of all. Construction of commercial and industrial buildings are forbidden in a residential area, although it depends on the planning of a residential district . If the district is zoned as residential before the start of any construction, all units in the area will function as family residences. If the district is zoned as residential after earlier constructions, these earlier commercial and industrial structures in that zone can continue to exist or be closed down, depending on the destination of the residential district. If you want to build a house in a commercial or industrial zone, you can apply for a rezoning of the area. Vice versa, if you would like to build a commercial structure in a residence district, you should apply again for rezoning. A district committee can check and approve or dismiss your application. (Heydasch, 2019)
A residence district is designated by the letter R such as R3-2, R5, R10A. (Zoning Glossary NYC)
