In NYC a Community Facility is a certain use as defined in the New York City Zoning Resolution. Most zoning districts in NYC allow for Community Facility use or mixed use buildings.
There are no community facility zoning districts in NYC. NYC has Residential Zoning, Commercial Zoning, and Manufacturing Zoning districts. Most of the zoning districts allow for Community facility Use.
Community Facility Uses
The Following are some of the uses that constitute community facility:
- Higher Educational Facilities
- Colleges
- Universities
- Dormitories
- Fraternity or Sorority Houses
- Libraries
- Museums
- Log Term Care Facility
- House Of Worship
- Churches
- Synagogues
- Mosques
- Temples
- Monasteries
- Convents
- Medical Facilities
- Hospital
- Ambulatory Diagnostic or Treatment Centers
- Medical Offices
- Not for profit medical staff dwelling
- Clubs & Organizations
- Non commercial Clubs
- Community Centers
- Non Commercial Recreation Centers
Community Facility in Commercial and Manufacturing Zoning
In Commercial and Manufacturing zoning each district has its own requirements for Community Facility Zoning Regulations. See each individual zoning district for details. You can search on our blog in the top right hand corner.
Community Facility Zoning in Residential Districts.
Below are some of the Community Facility Zoning regulations for residential zoning districts. These are the basic requirements, some special situations will vary from those listed.
R1 Community Facility Zoning
Floor Area Ratio (FAR) = 1
Lot Coverage = Corner Lot 60%, Interior or Though Lot 55%
R2 Community Facility Zoning
Floor Area Ratio (FAR) = 1
Lot Coverage = Corner Lot 60%, Interior or Though Lot 55%
R3 Community Facility Zoning
Floor Area Ratio (FAR) = 1
Lot Coverage = Corner Lot 60%, Interior or Though Lot 55%
R4 Community Facility Zoning
Floor Area Ratio (FAR) = 2
Lot Coverage = Corner Lot 60%, Interior or Though Lot 55%
R5, R5A, & R5B Community Facility Zoning
R5 Zoning, R5A Zoning, R5B Zoning
Floor Area Ratio (FAR) = 2
Lot Coverage = Corner Lot 60%, Interior or Though Lot 55%
R5D Community Facility Zoning
Floor Area Ratio (FAR) = 2
Lot Coverage = Corner Lot 80%, Interior or Though Lot 55%
R6 Community Facility Zoning
Floor Area Ratio (FAR) = 4.8
Lot Coverage = Corner Lot 70%, Interior or Though Lot 65%
R6A Community Facility Zoning
Floor Area Ratio (FAR) = 3
Lot Coverage = Corner Lot 80%, Interior or Though Lot 60%
R6B Community Facility Zoning
Floor Area Ratio (FAR) = 2
Lot Coverage = Corner Lot 80%, Interior or Though Lot 60%
R7-1 Community Facility Zoning
Floor Area Ratio (FAR) = 4.8
Lot Coverage = Corner Lot 70%, Interior or Though Lot 65%
R7-2 Community Facility Zoning
R7-2 Zoning
Floor Area Ratio (FAR) = 6.5
Lot Coverage = Corner Lot 70%, Interior or Though Lot 65%
R7A Community Facility Zoning
Floor Area Ratio (FAR) = 4
Lot Coverage = Corner Lot 80%, Interior or Though Lot 65%
R7B Community Facility Zoning
Floor Area Ratio (FAR) = 3
Lot Coverage = Corner Lot 80%, Interior or Though Lot 65%
R7D Community Facility Zoning
Floor Area Ratio (FAR) = 4.2
Lot Coverage = Corner Lot 80%, Interior or Though Lot 65%
R7X Community Facility Zoning
Floor Area Ratio (FAR) = 5
Lot Coverage = Corner Lot 80%, Interior or Though Lot 70%
R8 Community Facility Zoning
Floor Area Ratio (FAR) = 6.5
Lot Coverage = Corner Lot 75%, Interior or Though Lot 65%
R8A Community Facility Zoning
Floor Area Ratio (FAR) = 6.5
Lot Coverage = Corner Lot 80%, Interior or Though Lot 70%
R8B Community Facility Zoning
Floor Area Ratio (FAR) = 4
Lot Coverage = Corner Lot 80%, Interior or Though Lot 70%
R8X Community Facility Zoning
Floor Area Ratio (FAR) = 6
Lot Coverage = Corner Lot 80%, Interior or Though Lot 70%
R9 Community Facility Zoning
Floor Area Ratio (FAR) = 10
Lot Coverage = Corner Lot 75%, Interior or Though Lot 65%
R9A Community Facility Zoning
Floor Area Ratio (FAR) = 7.5
Lot Coverage = Corner Lot 80%, Interior or Though Lot 70%
R9D & R9X Community Facility Zoning
Floor Area Ratio (FAR) = 9
Lot Coverage = Corner Lot 80%, Interior or Though Lot 70%
R10 Community Facility Zoning
Floor Area Ratio (FAR) = 10
Lot Coverage = Corner Lot 75%, Interior or Though Lot 65%
R10A & R10X Community Facility Zoning
Floor Area Ratio (FAR) = 10
Lot Coverage = Corner Lot 100%, Interior or Though Lot 70%
Special Restrictions and Regulations for Certain Community Facility Uses
R1 and R2
Certain Community Facility uses in R1 & R2 are restricted to the maximum residential floor area ratio.
R3 – R9
This does not apply to R6 – R9 with a letter suffix.
Certain community facility uses listed in this section are restricted to the FARs as listed here. These are for certain not for profit with sleeping accommodations.
R3 = .5
R4 = .75
R5, R5A, & R5B = 1.27
R5D = 2
R6 = 2.43
R7 = 3.44
R8 = 6.02
R9 = 7.52
Community Facility in certain areas
Certain Special Zoning Districts and Community Boards may have requirements that differ from those listed in this post.
Certain Floor Area Bonuses for Community Facility Uses
Certain zoning districts may have bonuses for certain uses.
Thank You for reading our blog post on Community Facility Zoning in NYC.
Please leave questions or comments below. If you want to discuss a specific property or project with an architect please contact us directly.
This post was written by Jorge Fontan AIA a Registered Architect and owner of New York City architecture firm Fontan Architecture. Jorge Fontan has earned 3 degrees in the study of architecture including two degrees from the City University of New York and a Masters Degree in Advanced Architectural Design from Columbia University. Jorge has a background in construction and has been practicing architecture for 20 years where he has designed renovations and new developments of various building types.
