Vacant Land Zoning
New York City is broken into different zoning districts. If you are looking to develop a vacant lot in NYC you will need to review the zoning in order to know what you can build. The process of assessing the zoning regulations on a property is called a zoning analysis. At our Architecture Firm in NYC we do Zoning Analysis all the time for properties in NYC. A zoning analysis is a Feasibility Study for Vacant Land Development. To learn more you can read another post we wrote about what goes into a Zoning Analysis.
Determine The Proposed Building Use
Usually when someone wants to develop a property, they have a specific building use in mind. This always makes it easier for an architect like me to determine the viability of the development. Sometimes the property owners acquire a parcel and then try to figure out what would be the optimal use.
When to Hire an Architect
You will need an architect to develop a property in NYC or anywhere else. As an architect people always ask me when the right time is to hire an architect. It is never too early to hire an architect. We are often hired by clients even before they purchase property in order to assist in the decision-making process. This often includes performing zoning analysis and feasibility studies of lots to determine what can be developed.
Developing Land In NYC
As an architect I study the process of property development closely but it is a complex endeavor. NYC Codes and protocols are complicated and quite involved. In this article, we reviewed some of the basic issues with regards to Developing Empty Lots in NYC. This analysis does not assume to cover every possible issue or condition, but provide a general overview.
Thank you for reading our blog post on Developing Vacant Lots in NYC.
I hope this was helpful. Please leave questions and comments below. If you would like to speak with an architect you can 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.
