Qualifying Ground Floor

New york city council land use division march 17 2016 this document is a simplified summary.

Qualifying ground floor. This is a simple calculation requiring you to deduct the amount of floor area your existing building contains from the maximum allowable floor area permitted in your district. The five foot rule applies to both commercial and residential districts contextual and non contextual in what the zqa calls qualifying ground floors. An additional five feet only allowed with qualifying ground floor outside manhattan core within manhattan core. For the actual regulations please consult the full modified.

A ground floor of a development or enlargement of a quality housing building where the start of the second story is 13 feet or more above the level of the sidewalk and in certain instances where additional supplementary use provisions are met. If an existing building on. The nyc zoning resolution has certain code benefits for these types of buildings. Above the base height the required minimum setback is 10 feet on a wide street and 15 feet on a narrow street.

In some zoning districts buildings with a qualifying ground floor are permitted a higher maximum. As an example on a 10 000 square foot property in a district allowing 4 0 far the maximum floor area permitted would be 40 000 square feet. For non contextual residential districts outside the manhattan core the extra ground floor five feet in height applies to r6 r7 r8 and r10 districts on wide streets. A qualifying ground floor is a building who s second floor is at least 13 feet above curb level.

Qualifying ground floor contextual districts in certain contextual districts outside manhattan core the 5 height increase is available to qualifying ground floors meeting the 13 height requirement story limit and supplemental ground floor provisions zr 23 662 b and 35 652 b. The 5 foot allowance does not apply in contextual districts within the manhattan core for. Qualifying ground floor zqa proposed to increase maximum heights in many medium and high density zoning districts by 5 feet for buildings with a ground floor at least 13 feet in height defined as a qualifying ground floor. This section inclusive specifies ground floor level requirements that establish ground floor use and depth requirements the maximum width for certain uses and parking wrap and screening requirements that apply to quality housing buildings in certain residence districts subject to supplemental provisions for qualifying ground floors.

The council modifications limit the applicability of this provision.