Commercial
A commercial district, designated by the letter C, is a zoning district in which commercial uses are allowed. In most types of commercial districts, residential and community facility uses may…
Residential
A residence district, designated by the letter R, is a zoning district in which only residences and community facilities are permitted. There are 10 kinds of residential zones in the…
Voluntary Inclusionary Housing (VIH)
NYC's Voluntary Inclusionary Housing (VIH), created under the Bloomberg administration, allows developers a density bonus in exchange for setting aside 20% of residential floor area for affordable housing, generally pegged…
Incentive Zoning
Incentive zoning is a zoning tool that provides the developer a bonus, usually in the form of additional floor area, in exchange for the provision of a public amenity, such…
City Environmental Quality Review (CEQR)
Most discretionary land use actions considered by the City Planning Commission are subject to the City Environmental Quality Review (CEQR) process. CEQR aims to identify any potential adverse environmental effects…
Environmental Assessment Statement (EAS)
As the first step in the Environmental Review process (see CEQR), all applicants for discretionary land use actions must file an Environmental Assessment Statement (EAS). If no significant environmental impacts…
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS)
An Environmental Impact Statement is required for larger projects with potential enviromental impacts (those that do not recieve a Negative Declaration - see EAS). The purpose of an EIS is…
Racial Impact Study (RIS)
The Racial Impact Study (RIS) legislation, passed in 2021 following years of advocacy, requires the City to create an equitable development data tool to assess the racial impact of land…
As-of-right development
Most housing development in the city takes place “as-of-right,” meaning that it complies with existing zoning regulations - it matches bulk and use rules - and does not need a…
Board of Standards & Appeals (BSA)
The Board of Standards & Appeals (BSA) is a Mayoral appointed commission that grants variances for zoning lots with certain constraints or conditions where construction might not otherwise be possible.…
