The C6 district is a commercial district which allows the construction of various kinds of high-bulk commercial and mixed-use buildings, such as corporate headquarters, hotels, department stores and entertainment centers. In NYC the C6 districts are mainly located in Manhattan, with fewer in Downtown Brooklyn and Downtown Jamaica.
C6 districts have different kinds of floor area ratio (FAR) requirements, depending on their sub-classification. For instance, the C6-1, C6-2 and C6-3 districts (located outside central business centers) have a FAR of 6.0; the C6-3D district’s FAR is 9.0. Zoned in the city’s major business districts are the C6-4 through C6-9 districts with a FAR of 10.0 or 15.0. The applicability of a bonus for a public plaza can increase the FAR of a building in these C6 districts.
Not only do various C6 districts have a different FAR, they also contain different construction requirements, rules and restrictions. For example, C6-1G, C6-2G, C6-2M and C6-4M districts have the rule to convert non-residential areas into residential ones. Except C6-3D, there is no requirement for off-street parking in C6 Districts. (NYC Department of City Planning, 2011)
