Press Release: City Planning Launches New Expanded Version of Web Application For Zoning Information - DCP

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For Immediate Release
May 15, 2014

Contacts:
Rachaele Raynoff - (212) 720-3471

CITY PLANNING LAUNCHES NEW EXPANDED VERSION OF WEB APPLICATION FOR ZONING INFORMATION

Improvements Enhance Usability for Business and Property Owners

May 14, 2014 - The Department of City Planning (DCP) and the Department of Information Technology & Telecommunications (DoITT) today released user-driven updates to ZoLa – the popular, one-stop web application for zoning information – adding the ability to see all uses on City owned and leased properties, view where sidewalk cafés are allowed, and overlay the Department of Finance’s Digital Tax Map. These enhancements make it easier for business owners seeking to open a sidewalk café and for property owners to locate lot lines and property dimensions. For the first time, ZoLa now provides a full inventory of uses on city owned and leased land. These new features to ZoLa were developed in response to feedback from various users including property owners, researchers, and City agencies. This initiative reduces the municipal government’s reliance on producing paper maps and addendums by providing this public data in a green, accessible fashion.

With the new version:

Users will be able to display the various layers of ZoLa on top of the Department of Finance’s Digital Tax Map (DTM). Details from the DTM (e.g., lot lines, dimensions) are visible as one zooms in with ZoLa.

For the first time, users of ZoLa will now be able to view maps showing where the Zoning Resolution permits sidewalk cafés and on what streets different types of cafes are allowed. One can search individual locations or find snapshots of sidewalk café rules for larger geographies throughout the entire city.

Users can research the full inventory of uses on City owned and leased properties mapped throughout the five boroughs. This layer displays data collected by the Department of Citywide Administrative Services (DCAS). Like the sidewalk café data, one can learn the ownership and use for one location, or view a broader area to find City-owned and leased properties and/or particular uses located on them.

About ZoLa
ZoLa provides a simple way to find a wide range of zoning and land use information in interactive, highly readable map layers pertaining to a particular property, or to the city at large. ZoLa allows users to enter an address and quickly find: property ownership, zoning, land uses in the surrounding area, historic districts, landmarks and administrative boundaries, such as community and local elected officials’ districts. One can also overlay citywide initiatives, such as the FRESH program, which incentivizes neighborhood grocery stores, or the Inclusionary Housing Program to foster creation and preservation of affordable housing, to determine where they are applicable.

Department of City Planning
The Department of City Planning (DCP) plans for the strategic growth and development of the City through ground-up planning with communities, the development of land use policies and zoning regulations applicable citywide, and its contribution to the preparation of the City’s 10-year Capital Strategy. DCP promotes housing production and affordability, fosters economic development and coordinated investments in infrastructure and services, and supports resilient, sustainable communities across the five boroughs for a more equitable New York City.

In addition, DCP supports the City Planning Commission in its annual review of approximately 450 land use applications for a variety of discretionary approvals. The Department also assists both government agencies and the public by advising on strategic and capital planning and providing policy analysis, technical assistance and data relating to housing, transportation, community facilities, demography, zoning, urban design, waterfront areas and public open space.