Zoning: Districts Guide -Residence Districts - R1 -DCP

Department of City Planning


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About Zoning Districts
Residence Districts
Commercial Districts
Manufacturing Districts
Special Purpose Districts
Rules for Special Areas

About Zoning Districts

Residence Districts

Commercial Districts

Manufacturing Districts

Special Purpose Districts

Rules for Special Areas


Residence Districts: R10 - R10A - R10X

Overview

R1

R2

R3

R4

R5

R6

R7

R8

R9

R10

R10

R10 districts are mapped along portions of Fifth and Park Avenues in Manhattan; however, most buildings that conform to the R10 building envelope are found in commercial districts with a residential district equivalent of R10, the highest residential density in the city. Much of Midtown, Lower Manhattan and major avenues in Manhattan, as well as parts of Downtown Brooklyn and Long Island City, are mapped at R10 density. The floor area ratio (FAR) is 10.0. Developers may choose between Quality Housing regulations or tower regulations; height factor regulations are not applicable.

Higher maximum FAR and heights are available for buildings participating in the Inclusionary Housing Program or that provide certain senior facilities.

Off-street parking is generally required for 40 percent of a building’s dwelling units, but requirements are lower for income-restricted housing units (IRHU) and are further modified in certain areas, such as within the Transit Zone and the Manhattan Core, or for lots less than 15,000 square feet. Off-street parking requirements can be waived if 15 or fewer parking spaces are required or if the zoning lot is 10,000 square feet or less.

R10 Regulations

Quality Housing Regulations

Upper East Side, Manhattan

Quality Housing contextual regulations (the same as for R10A Districts) produce large, high lot coverage buildings set at or near the street line which maintain the traditional high street wallfound along major streets and avenues. On wide streets, the base height before setback is 125 to 155 feet with a maximum building height of 215 feet for buildings providing a qualifying ground floor. On narrow streets, in order to ensure more light and air at street level, the base height before setback is 60 to 125 feet. The maximum building height is 185 feet. Interior amenities for residents are mandatory pursuant to the Quality Housing Program.

Tower-on-a-Base Regulations

Tower regulations allow a building to penetrate the sky exposure plane, which results in buildings taller than those allowed under Quality Housing regulations. Most avenues on the Upper East Side of Manhattan are mapped as R10 districts, (or C1-9 and C2-8 districts which have a residential district equivalent of R10 and are predominantly residential districts that permit ground level retail uses).

A tower-on-a-base is the only type of tower that can be built on a wide street in an R10, C1-9 or C2-8 district; the building envelope of a contextual base topped by a tower portion ensures compatibility with existing buildings along these avenues. The height of the base is between 60 and 85 feet. On a wide street, the street wall must extend continuously along the street line. On a narrow street, the open area between the street wall and the street line must be planted. The tower portion must be set back at least 10 feet from a wide street and 15 feet from a narrow street, and the lot coverage must be between 30% and 40%. The height of the tower is controlled by a distribution rule, which requires at least 55% of the floor area on the zoning lot to be located below a height of 150 feet.

Tower Regulations

Tower regulations allow a building to penetrate the sky exposure plane, which results in buildings taller than those allowed under Quality Housing regulations. Most of Midtown and Lower Manhattan are mapped R10 districts or high density commercial districts with an R10 residential district equivalent.

Standard towers, which do not require a base, are permitted only on narrow streets in R10, C1-9 and C2-8 districts, and on both wide and narrow streets in primarily Commercial Districts (C4-6, C4-7, C5, C6-4, C6-5, C6-6, C6-7, C6-8, C6-9). The tower footprint may cover no more than 40% of the area of the zoning lot, or up to 50% on lots smaller than 20,000 square feet. Like a tower-on-a-base, a standard tower must be set back from the street line at least 10 feet on a wide street, and 15 feet on a narrow street. Unlike a tower-on-a-base, there is no minimum lot coverage requirement and no rule regarding distribution of floor area. In mixed buildings, a floor area bonus of up to 20% can be achieved by providing a public plaza. Together, these regulations produce the tallest residential buildings in the city.

R10A

West End Avenue, Manhattan

The Quality Housing contextual regulations, mandatory in R10A districts, typically produce the substantial apartment buildings set on the avenues and wide streets of Manhattan, such as West End Avenue and Broadway on the Upper West Side. Commercial districts which are R10A residential district equivalent, such as C4-6A districts on Broadway and C2-8A districts on some blocks of East 96th Street, are lined with large apartment houses with street level stores. Towers are not permitted in R10A districts.

Typical new buildings are apartment buildings between 21 and 23 stories with high lot coverage and street walls set at or near the street line. The floor area ratio(FAR) is 10.0. Residential and mixed buildings can receive a residential floor area bonus for the creation or preservation of affordable housing, on-site or off-site, pursuant to the Inclusionary Housing Program. The maximum base height before setback, which is 155 feet within 100 feet of a wide street with a qualifying ground floor and 125 feet on a narrow street, is designed to match the height of many older apartment buildings. Above the base height, the required minimum setback is 10 feet on a wide street and 15 feet on a narrow street. The maximum height of a building is 210 feet within 100 feet of a wide street and 185 feet beyond 100 feet of a wide street. If providing a qualifying ground floor, the maximum height on a wide street is 215 feet.

Higher maximum FAR and heights are available for buildings participating in the Inclusionary Housing Program or that provide certain senior facilities.

Off-street parking is generally required for 40 percent of a building’s dwelling units, but requirements are lower for income-restricted housing units (IRHU) and are further modified in certain areas, such as within the Transit Zone and the Manhattan Core, or for lots less than 15,000 square feet. Off-street parking requirements can be waived if 15 or fewer parking spaces are required or if the zoning lot is 10,000 square feet or less.

R10A Regulations

R10X

Chelsea, Manhattan

R10X districts, and C6-4X districts which have an R10X residential district equivalent,, are subject to Quality Housing regulations but instead of a maximum height, the portion of the building above the required setback is subject to tower regulations. A C6-4X district is mapped along Sixth Avenue in Chelsea.

The floor area ratio(FAR) of 10.0 may be increased to 12.0 if affordable housing is provided pursuant to the Inclusionary Housing Program or, for a mixed building, if a public plaza is provided along a narrow street. Public plazas are permitted only in buildings with a commercial or community facility base. The building base must be between 60 and 85 feet high and extend along the entire frontage of a wide street. A tower is permitted above 85 feet provided it is set back at least 10 feet from a wide street and at least 15 feet from a narrow street. To prevent excessively tall and narrow towers, a tower must have a minimum lot coverage of 33% and maximum of 40%.

Higher maximum FAR are available for buildings participating in the Inclusionary Housing Program or that provide certain senior facilities.

Off-street parking is generally required for 40 percent of a building’s dwelling units, but requirements are lower for income-restricted housing units (IRHU) and are further modified in certain areas, such as within the Transit Zone and the Manhattan Core, or for lots less than 15,000 square feet. Off-street parking requirements can be waived if 15 or fewer parking spaces are required or if the zoning lot is 10,000 square feet or less.

R10X Regulations

Disclaimer
The Zoning Reference provides only general zoning information and is not meant to serve as a substitute for the actual regulations which are to be found in the Zoning Resolution.

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