Open Space
2024-03-28 00:49:51

Open Space

Open space within residential zoning lots in the United States plays a crucial role in urban planning and development. Defin...

Industrial Zone
2024-02-27 11:38:13

Industrial Zone

An Industrial Zone is a designated area within a municipality that is specifically zoned for industrial activities, existing...

Navigating Greenhouse Regulations in NYC
2023-08-21 01:37:41

Navigating Greenhouse Regulations in NYC

A Guide to Rooftop and Backyard Cultivation In the context of NYC zoning regulations, greenhouses f...

Open Space Ratio (OSR)
2023-07-11 07:19:03

Open Space Ratio (OSR)

The Open Space Ratio (OSR) is a quantitative measure used to assess the proportion of open spaces within a given urban area....

Maximum Lot Coverage
2023-05-31 01:47:36

Maximum Lot Coverage

Maximum lot coverage refers to the calculation of the total area covered by buildings and other structures on a given lot, e...

Single-family Zoning
2022-12-05 00:34:55

Single-family Zoning

Single-family is a legal zoning regulation which allows only for single-family detached homes on properties within the zone....

Waterfront Access Plan (WAP)
2022-11-02 05:07:22

Waterfront Access Plan (WAP)

The Waterfront Access Plan (WAP) is a part of the waterfront bulk regulations and public access requirements of NYC’s Zoning...

Large-Scale Developments
2021-01-07 02:32:34

Large-Scale Developments

Large-Scale Developments (LSDs) exist on either very large zoning lots or across multiple lots. They avoid the rezoning issu...

Permitted Obstructions
2020-12-21 02:37:53

Permitted Obstructions

Permitted obstructions refer to any structures or objects that may be located in a yard or open space. They may also be allo...

NEWS: Biden team proposes Inclusionary Zoning and Housing Reform
2020-11-26 01:30:53

NEWS: Biden team proposes Inclusionary Zoning and Housing Reform

As part of their election campaign, president-elect Joe Biden and his team have proposed reforms to housing and zoning that ...

NYC’s Landmark Preservation Law
2020-10-19 12:15:36

NYC’s Landmark Preservation Law

The New York City Landmarks Preservation Law was created to protect historic landmarks and historical neighborhoods from rea...

Transferable Development Rights
2020-10-06 11:44:34

Transferable Development Rights

The Transferable Development Rights (TDR) program allows property owners to sell unused development capacity to other landow...

NYC’s Zone Green Text Amendment
2020-09-18 00:50:10

NYC’s Zone Green Text Amendment

New York City’s Zone Green text amendment was approved in 2012 in order to remove zoning impediments that made new construct...

NYC’s Quality Housing Program
2020-08-14 01:36:20

NYC’s Quality Housing Program

New York City’s Quality Housing Program began in 1987 as a way of maintaining the historical and architectural character of ...

R6 Residential District
2020-08-03 05:58:02

R6 Residential District

R6 residential districts are widely mapped throughout New York City. They are medium-density

Spot Zoning
2020-07-02 03:55:51

Spot Zoning

Spot Zoning refers to the rezoning of an individual plot of land, where the rezoning benefits the owner of the plot but nega...

As-of-Right Development
2020-06-02 02:28:26

As-of-Right Development

As-of-right development refers to any proposed construction or enlargements that comply with all the zoning regulations in a...

Uniform Land Use Review Procedure (ULURP)
2020-05-26 01:46:28

Uniform Land Use Review Procedure (ULURP)

The Uniform Land Use Review Procedure is a process of community board and city council review for new developments that will...

Non-Complying Buildings
2020-04-17 01:06:48

Non-Complying Buildings

A non-complying building is any building that doesn’t comply with the bulk regulations of a particular zoning district. Thes...

Non-Conforming Use
2020-04-14 02:11:13

Non-Conforming Use

Non-conforming use refers to a structure, which function does not match its zoning district. For example, a factory that exi...

City Environmental Quality Review
2020-03-25 03:43:41

City Environmental Quality Review

The City Environmental Quality Review (CEQR) is a process that assesses the environmental impact of certain developments or ...

Zoning Lots
2020-03-16 05:26:43

Zoning Lots

A lot or a zoning lot is a tract of land comprised of a single tax lot or two or more adjacent tax lots within a given block...

The C7 Commercial District
2020-02-25 06:46:20

The C7 Commercial District

The C7 district is a type of commercial district

The C8 Commercial District
2020-02-13 01:06:22

The C8 Commercial District

The C8 district is a commercial area that allo...

C6 District
2020-01-21 03:18:57

C6 District

The C6 district is a commercial district which...

NEWS: Bill Passed on Bird-Friendly Window Use in NYC
2020-01-03 01:18:44

NEWS: Bill Passed on Bird-Friendly Window Use in NYC

On December 10, 2019, the city council of NYC passed a bill that will aim to prevent the death of hundreds of thousands of b...

Coastal Zone Boundary
2019-12-30 00:14:55

Coastal Zone Boundary

The Coastal Zone Boundary is an area in which New York City's

NEWS: Green Roofs NYC - Local Law 92 and 94
2019-12-26 02:36:42

NEWS: Green Roofs NYC - Local Law 92 and 94

From November 15 onwards, the New York City Department of Buildings (DOB) introduced Local Law 92 of 2019 and Local Law 94 o...

Transit Zone
2019-12-11 03:22:27

Transit Zone

Transit zones in NYC are dense urban areas with a low car ownership rate and different programs of affordable housing. These...

Overlay District
2019-12-10 00:22:08

Overlay District

An overlay district is an area that is additionally placed within an existing zoned districts (for example a

Environmental Protection Overlay District
2019-11-29 03:49:42

Environmental Protection Overlay District

An Environmental Protection Overlay District (EPOD) is an overlay zone located in sensitive environmental places in which sp...

Historic Overlay
2019-11-13 02:22:59

Historic Overlay

An overlay district is an area that is additionally placed within an existing zoned districts, or superseding multiple borde...

Commercial Overlay
2019-10-29 01:09:21

Commercial Overlay

Commercial activities take part in a commercial di...

Inclusionary Zoning
2019-10-29 00:56:39

Inclusionary Zoning

Developed in the 1970s, inclusionary zoning (IZ) is a policy to push the construction of more affordable housing in the priv...

Hotels in NYC
2019-09-30 08:04:16

Hotels in NYC

Construction of hotels are allowed as-of-right in many

Opportunity Zone
2019-09-27 06:16:10

Opportunity Zone

The opportunity zone is an economically-distressed area, attractive for private investors, and thus a development tool inten...

Air Rights in New York City
2019-09-16 09:35:31

Air Rights in New York City

Air Rights (or Development Rights) in New York City are the rights to build vertically into the sky, when (according to zoni...

Setback Regulations
2019-09-05 03:57:14

Setback Regulations

The US applies several zoning categories, such as r...

Height Regulations
2019-09-02 07:36:14

Height Regulations

The US applies several zoning categories, such as r...

Mixed Use District
2019-08-12 00:46:25

Mixed Use District

The mixed use district (MX district) is an area where mixed land uses are permitted. For instance, both residential and comm...

Commercial District
2019-08-05 09:15:49

Commercial District

Beside the residence,

Manufacturing District
2019-08-02 05:41:49

Manufacturing District

Zoning districts around the USA are mainly divided in three main areas: the

Floor Area Ratio
2019-08-02 05:34:40

Floor Area Ratio

The Floor Area Ratio (FAR) is the ratio of the total area of the building, compared to the size of the given land i.e. it co...

Special Purpose Districts
2019-07-22 09:32:45

Special Purpose Districts

Special purpose districts are area’s with particular qualities and functions, and are created to meet the needs of a neighbo...

Residence District
2019-07-09 08:53:35

Residence District

Next to the commercial,