In New York City, a Limited Height District (LH) is a district where building heights are limited. This applies to buildings and other structures and is set by the Landmarks Preservation Commission.
Limited Height Districts NYC
The Limited Height districts are indicated on the Zoning Maps. These districts have special height limitations for all buildings and structures. Limited Height Districts are indicated on the Zoning Maps as ‘LH’.
Examples of Limited Height Districts in NYC
Some areas in the Upper East Side of Manhattan on 5th Avenue and Madison Avenue have LH Districts. Some of the Area in Gramercy is also an LH district. Additionally, in Cobble Hill, Brooklyn, there is a significant area that is designated for limited height.
Residential, Commercial, and Manufacturing Limited Height Districts
The heights indicated below will supersede the allowable building heights for any Manufacturing, Commercial, or Residential Zoning District within a Limited Height District. These restrictions will apply to Residential Buildings, Commercial Buildings, Manufacturing Buildings, and Community Facility Buildings in the LH Districts.
In Residential Zoning Districts, the height limitations are as follows:
- LH-1 = 50 feet
- LH-1A = 60 feet
- LH-2 = 70 feet
- LH-3 = 100 feet
Limited Height Districts NY Zoning
As an architect, I study Building and Zoning Codes closely, but these are complicated and quite involved issues. In this article, we reviewed some of the basic concepts with regards to Limited Height Districts. This post does not assume to cover every possible issue or condition, but provide a general overview of the topic.
Thank you for reading our blog post on LH Zoning Restrictions.
I hope this was helpful. If you would like to speak with an architect, you can contact us at Fontan Architecture 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.
