# LAND USE ZONES

## Zones:

1 - Mall: Mid-Block Zone

2 - Mall: Cross Street Zones

3 - Peripheral Blocks Zone

## Overlays:

A, B, - Hotel, Department Store,
and C and/or "Design/Entertainment"

Scale

North

22

## The Location

Located right on the Katy Freeway (I-10) and Wirt Road, West-10 Business Center has a prime location in west Houston.

The Katy Freeway practically provides at your front door convenient access to the Central Business District. And Loop 610, just two minutes from the site, gives you the best access to all parts of the city.

Entrance into the complex is easy from I-10 and Wirt Road with both thoroughfares providing excellent exposure for your company.

Within minutes of West-10 Business Center are many fine residential areas and shopping centers.

Remuddling opinion...

The 1885 house (right) is only two blocks away from its re-sided counterpart (above).

Home-
icide

We call this brand of re-
muddling the "mega-
buck monopoly": Every
year, millions of dollars
are spent promoting substitute sid-
ing, promising people that their
houses can be made 'maintenance-

free.' Unfortunately, the houses are
often made character- and beauty-
free in the process. (But not water-
damage-free...)

We've featured many houses that
have fallen victim to what is perhaps
the most common form of home-

icide. This particular house, located
in northern Wisconsin, is a most un-
settling example: an elegant Victorian
home turned into a numbing ar-
rangement of blank walls.

Thanks to subscriber Daniel M.
Seurer for both photos.

88

JULY/AUGUST 1989

Each lot has a series of setback lines and zones within which the elements of the Celebration House shall be placed.

The Front Facade of the house includes the **Main Body** and **Side Wings**, the dimensions of which are controlled by principles defined for each of the lot types.

The Front Facade of the house shall be placed within the **Front Facade Zone** which is an area the dimension and position of which is set by the Community Patterns for each lot type. The Front Facade Zone is set back from the front property line a distance established by the **Front Facade Setback Line**. Its depth is measured from the Front Facade Setback Line and its width is limited by the **Side Yard Setbacks**.

The Front Yard is the area between the front property line and the Minimum Front Facade Setback Line. Porches and bay windows can project from the front facade into the Front Yard.

For corner lots, the **Side Street Facade** of the house shall be placed within the **Side Street Facade Zone**, which is an area the dimension of which is set by Community Patterns for each Community Space. Its depth is measured from the **Side Street Facade Setback Line** and its width is set by the Front Facade Zone and the Alley Setback.

Behind these two facade zones is the **Private Zone**. Elements built in the facade zones will screen the private zone. Within the Private Zone, swimming pools with their enclosures, garages, and ancillary structures shall be located.

PRINCIPLES AND DEFINITIONS

B-1

a "blaze". It is shown in yellow. around the base. Zoning calls this empty space its height. It also creates a zone of empty space. Shaping this tower into a narrow slab increases size, or 50x80 admute feet. It is shown in green. The tower he can build is ten times that

to piloting size
blaze adds 50 feet

these lots are shown in place. covering much of the block. The buildings on measures his zoning lot with seven other lots his neighbor. Through private business deals he Meanwhile, Trump is negotiating with twenty-cent larger building. Trump adds to admute feet (shown in yellow) to the tower.

2

I

Trumped!

from a blaze pound. These diagrams show how he did it. United Nations? The answer: a "zoning lot market" plus a little help How could Donald Trump build a tower 310 feet taler than the

doesn't exist but could exist. large but imaginary building...a building that These rights are substantial. They are like a development rights that now belong to Trump. is shown in red. This difference equals the and the new buildings that could be built these zoning allows. The difference between them, put them are much smaller than the The neighboring lots all have buildings on

jet notes.
ceilings add
extra-high

to piloting
add more size
piloting
runout/rounding
space of
nurseries air
brucazine of

lot. A building that should have been under 320 feet tall will be almost 800 feet tall! be more than thirty-eight times the size of its times the size of its lot. Trump World Tower will floor space of a building on Trump's site to ten through the zoning resolution limits the heights to twenty cent ap above usable. the development rights—and place it on top of Trump scoops up his imaginary building—

4

point of view.

below, from the helicopter,
right: the same site as

5

4

The New York Times
***
Real Estate

Sunday, September 6, 1998

Section 11

At Columbus Circle,
A Circuitous Path
To Columbus Centre

Nimble developer's
longterm obsession
finally pays off.

By DAVID W. DUNLAP

FOR most of this decade, Stephen M. Ross has been staring intently at the development opportunity of a lifetime — right through the windows of his own office.

Mr. Ross is the chairman and chief executive of the Related Companies, which develops, owns or manages residential, retail and commercial properties worth more than $7 billion in 40 states. But he could not let go of what he saw from his Madison Avenue office, three-quarters of a mile across 59th Street: the hulking New York Coliseum on Columbus Circle.

"It's almost been an obsession with him," said his financial partner, William L. Mack.

Mr. Ross interrupted. "Let me ask a question," he said to Mr. Mack. "What's this 'almost'?"

At the end of July, Mr. Ross's obsessive pursuit paid off when companies that he, Mr. Mack and Kenneth A. Himmel control were awarded the Coliseum development site, for which they will pay about $345 million, by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, the owner of the property.

To bid successfully for the site, the

partners had to be nimble, as the real estate market and project guidelines kept changing. They added a 1,000-seat concert hall and deleted a 60-foot glass globe filled with restaurants; lost a rental apartment tower and gained one of the bluest chips in corporate America as an office tenant.

"Columbus Centre," as it is known (and spelled), is to begin rising in late 1999 or early 2000, after the Coliseum is razed. Although the stock market's volatility last week raised concerns about the future of many major business decisions, Mr. Mack, fresh from a meeting with his partners on Tuesday, said "We're moving full speed ahead."

As planned, the building is to have two 750-foot towers rising from an enormous base, with a total of 2.5 million square feet of space. It will cost about $1.3 billion, including land acquisition.

Within it are to be the headquarters of Time Warner, which the corporation will own as a 650,000-square-foot commercial condominium, plus 100,000 square feet of studios for its Cable News Network and NY1 television news operations.

Jazz at Lincoln Center will have its first permanent home, with a 1,000-seat concert hall, rehearsal studios and classrooms.

There will also be 325,000 square feet of restaurants and stores, a 425-room Mandarin Oriental Hotel, 325 condominium apartments and a 12-screen movie theater. Plus 400 to 600 parking spaces.

And to think — Mr. Ross's first vision for the site in 1991 was Kmart.

As they described the evolution of Columbus Centre in interviews, the participants emphasized that in some ways, the most difficult task has just begun.

The design must evolve from conceptual renderings into detailed working drawings and then into a steel,

Source: Skidmore, Owings & Merrill

A PROJECT'S EVOLUTION

At left, components of the planned 750-foot high, 2.5-million-square-foot building. Below, some of the proposals for the site over the years.

*Continued on Page 6*

Moshe Safdie

1985 Original Boston Properties plan called for 2.7 million square feet, with a tower rising 925 feet.

Skidmore, Owings & Merrill

1988 Design by David M. Childs evoked twin-towered Central Park West apartment buildings.

Skidmore, Owings & Merrill

1996 Proposal from the Related Companies included a glass sphere for restaurants.

Skidmore, Owings & Merrill

1998 In current proposal, globe is replaced by sloping glass roof for multistory atrium.

## The Design

West-10 Business Center features architecture and design unique to industrial building projects.

Designed by Richard Fitzgerald and Associates, the architectural concept is not only functional, but distinguished and prestigious, as well.

Bronze glass bay windows mark building entryways. Exteriors of exposed aggregate combined with vertical red-wood siding give the complex a distinctive look that blends with the naturally wooded surroundings.

Extensive landscaping enhances the attractiveness of the buildings and there is parking at every door.

● Special Lincoln Square District

The Special Lincoln Square District was established to protect the character of the area surrounding Lincoln Square as an international center for the performing arts. The district accomplishes its objective by offering special floor area bonuses by permit from the Planning Commission and the Board of Estimate for the provision of pedestrian malls, galleries, covered plazas, pedestrian oriented circulation improvements and inclusion of low- and moderate-income housing in new development. The district mandates the height of building walls along certain streets, location of arcades and types of commercial use at street level in order to guide the orderly redevelopment of the affected area.

● Special Limited Commercial District

The Special Limited Commercial District attempts to preserve the character of commercial areas within Historic Districts. This is accomplished by restricting commercial uses to those compatible with the Historic District, mandating that all commercial uses be in completely enclosed buildings and limiting the size and illumination of signs within the Special District. One such special district was mapped in Manhattan's Greenwich Village.

● Special Battery Park City District

The Special Battery Park City District was created to govern a large development in an area close to the business core of Lower Manhattan in harmony with a Master Development Plan adopted by the City Planning Commission for that area. Regulations reflect vertical separation of land uses, development of pooled open spaces and a rational circulation system accommodating all major movements of pedestrians and vehicles.

● Special United Nations Development District

The Special United Nations Development District attempts to guide the development of a midtown area adjacent to the United Nations in accordance with a development plan for the district approved by the Planning Commission and the Board of Estimate. A major feature of the development proposal is a unified design concept. The basic floor area ratio for the district is increased to promote special public amenities needed in the area and to implement the development plan.

● Special Greenwich Street Development District

The Special Greenwich Street Development District was established to foster and promote the orderly expansion of commercial development in an area of Lower Manhattan adjacent to Battery Park City and the World Trade Center.

This district attempts to implement an integrated plan for improved pedestrian and vehicular circulation as well as encourage development of a variety of retail and service establishments to meet the needs of the area's working population. This is accomplished through a fine-grained series of mandatory and elective pedestrian circulation and lot improvements relating to each property in the district for which floor area bonuses are offered.

Some unique features of this district are its provisions for involving both the developer and appropriate public agencies in the construction of certain pedestrian circulation improvements and the district's reliance on an administrative certification procedure rather than a legislative special permit approval for authorizing floor area bonuses in each case.

● **Special Fifth Avenue District**

The Special Fifth Avenue District was created to assure the continuation of Fifth Avenue as Manhattan's major retail street as well as to preserve it as a showcase of national and international prestige shopping. The district encourages the concentration of high quality department stores, retail clustering, restaurants and related activities that complement the unique character of the avenue. Incentives are given to provide hotel and residential uses above commercial uses.

To maintain the design character of Fifth Avenue, attempts were made to maintain the existing uniformity of front wall lines on both sides of Fifth Avenue. Plazas and arcades are discouraged along the Avenue. To improve pedestrian and vehicular circulation, mid-block connections in the form of portes-cochere, through-block arcades and covered pedestrian spaces are encouraged. Like the Greenwich Street District, a unique feature of the district is the reliance on a certification procedure rather than a special permit for authorizing bonuses.

● **Brooklyn Center Development District**

The Brooklyn Center Development District was established to promote the orderly development of Downtown Brooklyn in accordance with an urban renewal plan approved by the Planning Commission and Board of Estimate.

The major features of the district are such mandatory lot improvements as bridges and shopping arcades to facilitate pedestrian circulation in the area, and provisions for transfer of floor area between lots within the district in accordance with the over-all design concept for the district. The basic floor area ratio for the district is increased because of the required mandatory improvements.

● **Special South Street Seaport District**

The purpose of the Special South Street Seaport District is to make it possible to preserve and restore the Seaport's historic buildings in accordance with an approved development plan. The low scale of the Seaport would be retained by transferring development rights above the low buildings to specified neighboring locations for commercial development.

● **Special Park District**

The Special Park District was created to preserve two small private parks in Tudor City and other private parks in the Midtown area. The owner can transfer or sell the allowable building rights from the park property to other parcels in the Midtown core. Bulk of the receiving building could be increased up to 20 percent.

Only parks in existence as of July 1, 1972 are eligible for the special zoning. Once the development rights are transferred, the developer must continue to maintain his park and open it to the public.

● **Special Park Improvement District**

The Special Park Improvement District was created to preserve the character and architectural quality of Fifth and Park Avenues and to foster park and mall improvements in the area.

Developers in this area would normally receive a 20 percent bulk bonus for including a public plaza or arcade in their building. However, such open space was redundant along Fifth and Park Avenues and plazas were considered potentially destructive of

THE NEW YORK TIMES, SUNDAY, JANUARY 12, 1997

R

7

# At Coliseum, Real Estate Lions Become Gladiators

NINE competing plans for the redevelopment of the New York Coliseum site on Columbus Circle are on display in the lobby of 10 Columbus Circle, the office tower that adjoins the Coliseum, where they will remain through January.

A final choice of developer from among these proposals is expected to be made in the spring by the board of the Triborough Bridge and Tunnel Authority, a subsidiary of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which owns the site.

What has gone on view at 10 Columbus Circle are architectural renderings, site plans and brief descriptions of each project. No financial data — such as how much each developer proposes to pay for the site — have been made available.

Under design guidelines for the 3.4-acre site, projects may not exceed 2.1 million square feet in overall space and towers may not exceed 750 feet in height. Most of the projects go exactly to those limits.

The renderings shown here are those being displayed by the M.T.A. and do not reflect any refinements made since the proposals were submitted last fall.

E. Virgil Conway, chairman of the M.T.A., said the public may address its comments to him or Marc V. Shaw, executive director of the authority (347 Madison Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10017-3739). There is also a woodpaneled suggestion box in the lobby at 10 Columbus Circle. DAVID W. DUNLAP

Lawrence Shum

**H. J. Kalikow & Company:** 749-foot tower and base (2.1 million square feet total) with offices (1.2 million sq. ft.); media-oriented retail and television studios (490,000 sq. ft.) and 525 apartments (410,000 sq. ft.). Would reuse Coliseum and 10 Columbus Circle. **Architects:** HLW International.

Lebbeus Woods

**Lefrak Organization, Edward J. Minskoff Equities and DLJ Equity Partners:** 750-foot tower, 503-foot tower and base (2.1 million square feet); offices (950,000 sq. ft.), auction house (400,000 sq. ft.), 250 apartments (350,000 sq. ft.), 200 hotel rooms (200,000 sq. ft.) and retail (200,000 sq. ft.). Would raze Coliseum, 10 Columbus Circle. **Kohn Peder sen Fox Associates; Gruzen Samton.**

Tom Shaller Architectural Illustration

**Millennium Partners:** 750-foot tower, 282-foot tower and base (2.1 million square feet) with 1,000 hotel rooms (900,000 sq. ft.); 500 apartments (800,000 sq. ft.), and retail and entertainment (400,000 sq. ft.). Would reuse Coliseum and 10 Columbus Circle. **Polshek & Partners; Gary Edward Handel & Associates.**

Lee Dunnette

**Bruce C. Ratner, Daniel Brodsky and Peter M. Lehrer:** 750-foot tower, 540-foot tower and base (2.1 million square feet) with department store, cinemas, specialty stores, and aquarium (1.1 million sq. ft.) and 950 apartments (1 million sq. ft.). Would raze Coliseum and 10 Columbus Circle. **Cesar Pelli & Associates; Schuman Lichtenstein Claman Efron.**

Michael McCann

**Related Companies and Himmel & Company:** Two 720-foot towers, 405-foot tower and base (2.1 million square feet) with 700 apartments (940,000 sq. ft.); 300 hotel rooms (300,000 sq. ft.); retail (440,000 sq. ft.) and television studios (420,000 sq. ft.). Would raze Coliseum and 10 Columbus Circle. **Skidmore, Owings & Merrill; Elkus/Manfredi.**

Paul Stevenson Oles/Advanced Media Design

**Silverstein Properties:** Two 670-foot towers, 383-foot tower and base (2.1 million square feet) with 840 apartments (1 million sq. ft.); offices (700,000 sq. ft.) and retail (400,000 sq. ft.). Would reuse Coliseum and 10 Columbus Circle. **Kevin Roche John Dinkeloo & Associates.**

Gensler/Los Angeles

**Simon Property Group, Hines Interests and David Plattner:** 750-foot tower and base (1.6 million square feet) with 424 apartments (600,000 sq. ft.); retail (600,000 sq. ft.) and exhibition space (400,000 sq. ft.). Would reuse Coliseum, raze 10 Columbus Circle. **Gensler/Los Angeles; Freeman-Ionescu; Schuman Lichtenstein Claman Efron.**

T J McLеш

**Tishman Speyer Properties, Mirage Corp. and Morgan Stanley Partners:** Two 750-foot towers and base (2.1 million square feet) with 390 apartments (800,000 sq. ft.); offices (750,000 sq. ft.); auction and exhibition space (500,000 sq. ft.) and retail (50,000 sq. ft.). Would reuse Coliseum and 10 Columbus Circle. **Murphy/Jahn.**

Ernest Burden 3d/O'Really Inc.

**Trump Organization and Colony Capital:** 750-foot tower and base (2.1 million square feet) with 660 apartments (750,000 sq. ft.); 900 hotel rooms (750,000 sq. ft.); department store and auction house (600,000 sq. ft.). Would reuse Coliseum, raze 10 Columbus Circle. **Robert A. M. Stern; Costas Kondylis.**

14

Schematic prototype (R1-3)

Basic data

Schematic prototype (R1-1)

One Parking 2pace Redefined bet House
Side Yard: 20 feet total, 8 feet minimum

Front Yard: 20 feet

Lot Coverage: 5-story, 52%; 1-story, 31.2%

Houses bet Acre: 7

Minimum OBR: 120.0

Maximum FAR: 0.20

60 foot lot width

2,700 square feet lot area;

Minimum Lot Size:

Single-Family Detached Residences

Side Yard: 32 feet total, 12 foot minimum
Front Yard: 30 feet

Houses bet Acre: 4

Minimum OBR: 120.0

Maximum FAR: 0.20

100 foot lot width

2,200 square feet lot area;

Minimum Lot Size:

in R1-1
development
Typical

for each dwelling unit.
least one car. One on-site parking space is redinted
parkation. Most families in these districts own at
lots. Many of these areas are far from public transa-
Houses are characteristically on large landscaped
allowing only four to seven households bet ares.
These zones limit population density by
feet wide (in R1-1 zones) or 60 feet wide (in R1-5
single-family detached houses on lots at least 100
with existing development. R1 districts permit only
Brooklyn are mapped as R1 districts to conform
of Riverdale in the Bronx, and Midwood in
A few areas of the City in Queens and in sections

R1

R1

12

"THE LOCATION OF COMMERCIAL USES" 337

TABLE 12.10. ORDER OF ENTRY OF FUNCTIONS IN THE HIERARCHY OF UNPLANNED CENTERS IN THE CITY OF CHICAGO, 1961

<table><thead><tr><th></th><th colspan="3">Centers</th></tr><tr><th></th><th>Neighborhood</th><th>Community</th><th>Shopping Goods</th><th>Major Regional</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><th rowspan="10" scope="rowgroup">Core neighborhood functions</th><td>Groceries</td><td rowspan="7">Supermarket</td><td rowspan="7">Supermarket</td><td rowspan="7">Supermarket</td></tr><tr><td>Variety stores</td></tr><tr><td>Men's and boys' clothing</td></tr><tr><td>Women's clothes</td></tr><tr><td>Eating places</td></tr><tr><td>Drinking places</td></tr><tr><td>Drugstores</td></tr><tr><th rowspan="7" scope="rowgroup">Functions added at the community level</th><td>Liquor stores</td><td rowspan="7">Yes</td><td rowspan="7">Yes</td><td rowspan="7">Yes</td></tr><tr><td>Jewelry</td></tr><tr><td>Currency exchanges</td></tr><tr><td>Laundries</td></tr><tr><td>Beauty shops</td></tr><tr><td>Barber shops</td></tr><tr><td>Hardware</td></tr><tr><th rowspan="7" scope="rowgroup">Functions added at smaller shopping-goods centers</th><td>Department stores</td><td rowspan="7">Yes</td><td rowspan="7">Yes</td><td rowspan="7">Yes</td></tr><tr><td>Candy stores</td></tr><tr><td>Bakeries</td></tr><tr><td>Family shoes</td></tr><tr><td>Furniture</td></tr><tr><td>Radio-TV</td></tr><tr><td>Real estate agents</td></tr><tr><th rowspan="5" scope="rowgroup">Functions performed only by major regional centers</th><td>Physicians</td><td></td><td></td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Optometrists</td><td></td><td></td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Butchers</td><td></td><td></td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Millinery</td><td></td><td></td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Children's wear</td><td></td><td></td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Men's shoes</td><td></td><td></td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Women's shoes</td><td></td><td></td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Appliances</td><td></td><td></td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Music stores</td><td></td><td></td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Gift and novelty stores</td><td></td><td></td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Banks</td><td></td><td></td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Movies</td><td></td><td></td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Dentists</td><td></td><td></td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Hosiery</td><td></td><td></td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Family clothing stores</td><td></td><td></td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Custom tailors</td><td></td><td></td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Drapery stores</td><td></td><td></td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Miscellaneous home furnishings</td><td></td><td></td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Stationers</td><td></td><td></td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Florists</td><td></td><td></td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Camera stores</td><td></td><td></td><td></td></tr></tbody></table>

Historic: What's In and What's Out?

The humor of this cartoon, drawn in an earlier decade, is less apparent at the present time when, as Richard Babcock and Clifford Weaver comment, "historic has come to mean practically anything that . . . is not run-of-the-mill." The term "conservation" more accurately describes much that goes under the name of "historic preservation." The aesthetics impulse has gotten ahead of its labels and mistaken rationale, creating needless confusion. The solution: call the thing what it is and manage it through more finely tuned conservation zoning, not through spurious claims of historic value.

● Special Planned Community Preservation District

The Special Planned Community Preservation District provides protection to the unique character of well-planned communities that have been developed as a unit with large landscaped open spaces and with superior relationship of buildings, open spaces, commercial uses, pedestrian and vehicular circulation which have been threatened by development pressures. No demolition, new development, enlargement or alteration of landscaping or topography is permitted within the District except by special permit of the City Planning Commission and the Board of Estimate. The Preservation Districts have been mapped in Sunnyside Gardens, Fresh Meadows, Parkchester and Harlem River Houses.

● Special Scenic View District

The Special Scenic View District is intended to prevent obstruction of outstanding scenic views as seen from a public park, esplanade or mapped public place. No buildings or structures would be allowed to penetrate a scenic view plane except by special permit of the City Planning Commission and the Board of Estimate. The mapping of a Special Scenic View District has been approved for the area west of the Brooklyn Heights Promenade in order to protect the waterfront view of the Lower Manhattan skyline, Governor's Island, the Statue of Liberty and the Brooklyn Bridge.

● Special Natural Area District

The purpose of the Special Natural Area District is to preserve natural features, such as aquatic, biologic, geologic and topographic features having ecological and conservation values by reviewing all new developments and site alterations on primarily vacant land. Natural features are protected by limiting modifications in topography and by preserving plant and marine life and natural water courses and by requiring clustered development to maximize the preservation of natural features.

Under this legislation, the City Planning Commission must certify that all new developments in mapped natural area districts meet applicable preservation standards.

Special Natural Area Districts have been mapped in the greenbelt area of Staten Island and in Riverdale (Bronx). These areas are endowed with steep slopes, rock outcrops, creeks and a variety of botanic environments.

● The Special Coney Island Mixed Use District

The Special Coney Island Mixed Use District was established to stabilize residential development while protecting the area's industrial base.

The District allows limited new residential infill, and requires special permits for new large industrial developments. Existing residential buildings are allowed enlargements, alterations and repairs and new residential buildings are allowed if they are next to an existing residential or community facility use.

New manufacturing is limited to certain light industries compatible in a mixed industrial residential neighborhood.

● Special South Richmond Development District

The Special South Richmond Development District was established to systematically guide development of predominantly vacant land in the southern half of Staten Island. The Special District maintains the densities established by the underlying zones and insures that new development is compatible with existing communities,

● **Special Brooklyn Center Development District**

● **Special Park District**

Developers in this area would normally receive a 20 percent bulk bonus for including a public plaza or arcade in their building. However, such open space was redundant along Fifth and Park Avenues and plazas were considered potentially destructive of the continuous facade along Fifth Avenue. The district substitutes a contribution to a special park improvement fund instead of provision of the plaza bonus.

River Oaks

Perhaps nothing can describe the elan of Houston's most exclusive residential subdivision better than the words of a limited edition book issued on the occasion of its fifth anniversary in 1928: "...if you had sensed the completeness with which architecture and landscape have been harmonized, had caught the color from flowered esplanade or sunflecked roof, had paused to quietly survey a stretch of marching green acres with the eye of one who appreciates peace and permanence in his place of abode, then you would have realized to some extent the far-flung design of River Oaks."

The development maintained strict architec-

tural control in offering a complete service to the potential property owner, and at the same time exercised nearly every possible option on site planning of detached housing. A drive through River Oaks illustrates the broad range of possibilities in suburban patterns, from the expansive estate to the denser clusters of houses arranged around courtyards off the street.

Property is still being bought and sold in River Oaks and the subsequent development has resulted in a near-catalogue selection of architectural styles, a representative collection of which is shown on the following page. A testi-

mony to the viability of the development is surely demonstrated as ever so often an $80,000 house will be torn down to make room for a new one costing $200,000.

Pennzoil Place will clearly be a major visual element in Houston, as this photo superimposing a model of the project over a view of its neighborhood shows (above). The seven slanted-roof floors at the top of each tower—perhaps the only high-rise office space ever designed to look like a garret—have rented quickly. Steel and glass truss frames create a greenhouse-like effect in the lobbies (opposite).

Table 7 Commercial Districts: Maximum Floor Area Ratio

<table><thead><tr><th rowspan="2">District</th><th colspan="3">Maximum Floor Area Ratio¹</th></tr><tr><th>Commercial buildings</th><th>Community facility buildings</th><th>Residential buildings²</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>R1</td><td></td><td></td><td></td></tr><tr><td>R2</td><td>1.00</td><td>1.00</td><td>0.50</td></tr><tr><td>R3</td><td></td><td></td><td></td></tr><tr><td>R4</td><td>1.00</td><td>2.00</td><td>0.75</td></tr><tr><td>R5</td><td>1.00</td><td>2.00</td><td>1.25</td></tr><tr><td>R6</td><td>2.00</td><td>4.80</td><td>2.00 to 2.43</td></tr><tr><td>R7-1</td><td>2.00</td><td>4.80</td><td>2.88 to 3.44</td></tr><tr><td>R7-2</td><td>2.00</td><td>6.50</td><td>2.88 to 3.44</td></tr><tr><td>R8</td><td>2.00</td><td>6.50</td><td>4.88 to 6.02</td></tr><tr><td>R9</td><td>2.00</td><td>10.00</td><td>6.54 to 7.52</td></tr><tr><td>R10</td><td>2.00</td><td>10.00</td><td>10.00</td></tr><tr><td>C1-6</td><td>2.00</td><td>6.50</td><td>2.88 to 3.44</td></tr><tr><td>C1-7</td><td>2.00</td><td>6.50</td><td>4.88 to 6.02</td></tr><tr><td>C1-8</td><td>2.00</td><td>10.00</td><td>6.54 to 7.52</td></tr><tr><td>C1-9</td><td>2.00</td><td>10.00</td><td>10.00</td></tr><tr><td>C2-6</td><td>2.00</td><td>6.50</td><td>2.88 to 3.44</td></tr><tr><td>C2-7</td><td>2.00</td><td>10.00</td><td>6.54 to 7.52</td></tr><tr><td>C2-8</td><td>2.00</td><td>10.00</td><td>10.00</td></tr><tr><td>C3</td><td>0.50</td><td>1.00</td><td>0.50</td></tr><tr><td>C4-1</td><td>1.00</td><td>2.00</td><td>1.25</td></tr><tr><td>C4-2</td><td>3.40</td><td>4.80</td><td>2.00 to 2.43</td></tr><tr><td>C4-3</td><td>3.40</td><td>4.80</td><td>2.00 to 2.43</td></tr><tr><td>C4-4</td><td>3.40</td><td>6.50</td><td>2.88 to 3.44</td></tr><tr><td>C4-5</td><td>3.40</td><td>6.50</td><td>2.88 to 3.44</td></tr><tr><td>C4-6</td><td>3.40</td><td>10.00</td><td>10.00</td></tr><tr><td>C4-7</td><td>10.00</td><td>10.00</td><td>10.00</td></tr><tr><td>C5-1</td><td>4.00</td><td>10.00</td><td>10.00</td></tr><tr><td>C5-2</td><td>10.00</td><td>10.00</td><td>10.00</td></tr><tr><td>C5-3</td><td>15.00</td><td>15.00</td><td>10.00</td></tr><tr><td>C5-4</td><td>10.00</td><td>10.00</td><td>10.00</td></tr><tr><td>C5-5</td><td>15.00</td><td>15.00</td><td>10.00</td></tr><tr><td>C6-1</td><td>6.00</td><td>6.50</td><td>2.88 to 3.44</td></tr><tr><td>C6-1A</td><td>6.00</td><td>6.50</td><td>2.00 to 2.43</td></tr><tr><td>C6-2</td><td>6.00</td><td>6.50</td><td>4.88 to 6.02</td></tr><tr><td>C6-3</td><td>6.00</td><td>10.00</td><td>6.54 to 7.52</td></tr><tr><td>C6-4</td><td>10.00</td><td>10.00</td><td>10.00</td></tr><tr><td>C6-5</td><td>10.00</td><td>10.00</td><td>10.00</td></tr><tr><td>C6-6</td><td>15.00</td><td>15.00</td><td>10.00</td></tr><tr><td>C6-7</td><td>15.00</td><td>15.00</td><td>10.00</td></tr><tr><td>C6-8</td><td>10.00</td><td>10.00</td><td>10.00</td></tr><tr><td>C6-9</td><td>10.00</td><td>15.00</td><td>10.00</td></tr><tr><td>C7</td><td>2.00</td><td></td><td></td></tr><tr><td>C8-1</td><td>1.00</td><td>2.40</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>C8-2</td><td>2.00</td><td>4.80</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>C8-3</td><td>2.00</td><td>6.50</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>C8-4</td><td>5.00</td><td>6.50</td><td></td></tr></tbody></table>

¹The floor area ratios shown are exclusive of bonuses for plazas, plaza-connected open areas, or arcades.

²When a range of floor area ratios is shown, the lower is for the lowest building typical of the district, and the higher is the maximum achievable in the district for taller buildings.

R7

R7 is a medium density apartment house district, common to much of the Bronx as well as Harlem, Washington Heights and mid-block areas of Manhattan's upper west side. Other typical areas include Jackson Heights in Queens and the section around Crotona Park in the Bronx. Density is 135 dwelling units per acre; FAR ranges from 2.8 to 3.4. Parking requirements reflect the fact that most of these districts have generally good access to public transportation. Parking is required for 60 percent of the new dwelling units in R7-1 districts and for 50 percent of the new units in R7-2 districts.

Schematic illustration (6-story building)

Schematic illustration (14-story building)

Basic
data

General Residence District

Maximum FAR: 2.88 to 3.44

Minimum OSR: 18.0 to 22.00

Lot Area per Room: 81 to 77 square feet

Rooms per Acre: 538 to 573

Typical Buildings:

(A) 6 stories at 48% coverage
(FAR 2.88)

(B) 14 stories at 25% coverage
(FAR 3.44)

Parking Spaces Required:

R7-1 One per Dwelling Unit or
60% of Dwelling Units if grouped

R7-2 50% of Dwelling Units

26

R7

Typical
6-story
development
in R7

27

R6

R6 districts are appropriate for medium density housing. Typical R6 development, usually between six and 12 stories, is common in built-up areas of all boroughs except Richmond. FAR in R6 districts ranges from 2.0 to 2.4. The higher ratio is granted for new buildings that provide more open space. Density - up to 100 units per acre - is double that of R5. R6 is the highest density district found in Staten Island and the lowest in Manhattan (mapped in Greenwich Village). Typical R6 areas include Ridgewood in Queens, Parkchester in the Bronx, and Bedford-Stuyvesant in Brooklyn. Parking must be provided for 70 percent of the dwelling units.

Basic
data

General Residence District

Maximum FAR: 2.00 to 2.43

Minimum OSR: 30 to 33.5

Lot Area per Room: 105 to 99 square feet

Rooms per Acre: 415 to 440

Typical Buildings:

(A) 6 stories at 36% coverage
(FAR 2.14)

(B) 11 stories at 22% coverage
(FAR 2.40)

Parking Spaces Required:
One per Dwelling Unit, or 70% of
Dwelling Units if grouped

Schematic illustration (11-story building)

24

R6

Typical
development
in R6

Downtown's New Main Street

Crowding into the west side of the downtown freeway loop along the Harbor freeway (shown in 1953 and 1979), the new monuments to the corporate economy dominate the downtown cityscape, both as a major center of activity and as a visual focus. The sites just east of the Harbor freeway were recommended not only by their easy access to the freeway system, but also by the availability of relatively inexpensive downtown property. Such high-rise construction required zoning changes to permit buildings more than 150 feet tall, robbing City Hall of its distinction as the tallest building in Los Angeles. (Left photo courtesy of CALTRANS; right photo by Mason Dooley.)

1. A diagram of the 1859 regulation on building height. Courtesy of the Atelier Parisien d'Urbanisme. On streets over twenty meters wide, cornice height was raised 2.5 meters, which made apartment buildings look much more monumental. 2. Project for the Poissonnière district. Illustration reprinted from *Revue municipale*, no. 128, August 1, 1853.

- 136 -

HEALTH AND SAFETY

<table><thead><tr><th>Year of Law</th><th>Fire Escapes and Stairs</th><th>Water Supply</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>1867</td><td>Must have fire escape approved by inspector of buildings. All bldgs. occupied by 4 or more families must have stairs of stone or iron; iron floor beams with brick arches</td><td>Water must be furnished at one or more places in house or yard</td></tr><tr><td>1882</td><td>Fire escape approval by Supt. of Bldgs. for bldgs. greater than two stories with two or more families.</td><td>No change</td></tr><tr><td>1887</td><td>Approved fire escapes for bldgs. of more than two stores with two or more families on any floor above 1st. Stairs and halls must be enclosed in brick, and floors, ceilings, and stairs must be made of iron, brick, stone, slate, or marble.</td><td>Supply at one or more places on each floor; applicable to bldgs. built after 1867.</td></tr><tr><td>1895</td><td>Fire proof staircases required in bldgs. of more than 5 stories with more than 3 families per floor</td><td>No change.</td></tr><tr><td>1901</td><td>Non-fireproof bldgs. must have regulation fire escapes. Stairways or escapes must be directly accessible to every apartment. Stair halls must extend from entrance hall to roof. In non-fireproof bldgs., extra stair required for every added 26 apt.s. or fraction thereof; in fireproof bldgs. for every 36.</td><td>Application of 1887 law to all tenements.</td></tr><tr><td>1929</td><td>Stairs must be enclosed in fireproof walls with self-closing, fireproof doors. Fireproof bldgs: Minimum of 2 fire stairs; for every floor with more than 40 rooms. Each apartment must have horizontal access to 2 stairs. Non-fireproof: must be 2 means of egress directly from each apt., one being a stairs, the other being a fire-tower or fire escape.</td><td>Sink with running water in every apartment where cooking space is provided.</td></tr></tbody></table>