The Department of City Planning is in the process of preparing a targeted set of citywide zoning text amendments (“Zoning for Quality and Affordability” – ZQA) to promote affordable housing and better quality buildings.
Due to several concerns expressed that the changes in height limits proposed for certain contextual zoning districts may have unintended effects such as unduly encouraging enlargements of existing buildings, DCP is incorporating a set of refinements to the proposed height changes for R6B, R7A and R8B zoning districts which will focus the proposal more squarely on the goal of promoting affordable housing and better quality buildings. With the changes, over 95% of medium and high density contextually zoned areas would experience height limit changes of 5′ or less for all buildings. For buildings providing Inclusionary or affordable senior housing, height limits would change by zero, one, or two stories in over 95% of these areas. Specifically:
- In R6B districts – Allow a maximum height of 55′ for all buildings (a maximum of 65′ was previously proposed for affordable senior housing or Inclusionary Housing). This height is sufficient to accommodate all permitted floor area with flexibility for better quality buildings.
- In R7A districts – Allow a basic maximum height of 85′ (a 5′ increase, instead of the 15′ increase previously proposed), and 105′ for buildings providing affordable senior housing or Inclusionary Housing. With this change, only buildings that provide affordable housing would be permitted to add additional stories to their buildings.
- In R8B districts – Maintain the current maximum height of 75′ that exists today (the proposed previously identified an increase to 85′).