R6 Zoning Code - New York City
What is an R6 Zoning District?
The character of R6 districts can range from row house neighborhoods to large-scale "tower in the park" developments. The standard bulk regulations, or Height Factor Regulations, for R6 districts encourage small apartment buildings on small zoning lots and, on larger lots, tall, narrow buildings that are set back from the street. As an alternative, developers may choose the optional Quality Housing program regulations to build lower, high lot coverage buildings that reflect the traditional neighborhood streetscape.
Height Factor Regulations: Height factor buildings are often set back from the street and surrounded by open space and on-site parking. The floor area ratio in R6 districts ranges from 0.78 (for a single-story building) to 2.43 at a typical height of 13 stories; the open space ratio ranges from 27.5 to 37.5. A taller building can usually be obtained by providing more open space. For example, 81% of the zoning lot with a 13-story building is required to be open space (2.43 FAR x 33.5 OSR). Thus, the maximum floor area ratio is achievable only where the zoning lot is large enough to accommodate a practical building footprint as well as the required amount of open space. The building must be set within a sky exposure plane which, in R6 districts, begins at a height of 60 feet above the front lot line and then slopes inward over the zoning lot. Off-street parking is required for 70% of a building's dwelling units, or it can be waived if five or fewer spaces are required.
Quality Housing Option: The optional Quality Housing regulations produce lower buildings with high lot coverage, which typically allow for more apartments than might be achievable under height regulations. Outside the Manhattan Core, the R6 optional regulations for buildings on or within 100 feet of a wide street are the same as those in R6A districts. The FAR is 3.0, and the maximum base height before setback is 60 feet with a maximum building height of 70 feet. On a narrow street (beyond 100 feet of a wide street), the maximum FAR is 2.2; the base height before setback is 45 feet with a maximum building height of 55 feet. Off-street parking, which is not permitted in front of a building, is required for 50% of the dwelling units, less than for height factor buildings. Parking is waived if five or fewer spaces are required.
Properties located in an R6 Zoning District
We have hand-picked several properties located in an R6 zoning district in one of the five boroughs of New York: Manhattan, Queens, Brooklyn, Staten Island, and the Bronx.
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