The Manhattan Core is a Zoning Term in reference to the areas of Manhattan in Community Districts 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8.
The Manhattan Core is a used in Zoning to distinguish parts of Manhattan for special regulations. Specifically New York City Zoning has many parking regulations but in the Manhattan Core these are modified to reduce parking.
Within the Manhattan Core the requirements to provide parking are waived. In addition there are limitations to how much parking a building can provide.
Parking Not Required in Manhattan Core
Parking is not required in any building within the Manhattan Core.
Limitations on Optional Parking
If you would like to add parking to an existing or proposed building within the Manhattan Core there are limits as to how many spaces you can provide.
Parking For Residential Buildings
For Residential Buildings in Community Districts 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, & 6 parking can be provided for up to 20% of the residential units with a maximum of 200 spaces, whichever is less.
For Residential Buildings in Community Districts 7 & 8 parking can be provided for up to 35% of the residential units with a maximum of 200 spaces, whichever is less.
Parking For Hotels
Parking for hotels can be up to 15% for the Hotel Rooms or 225 spaces, whichever is less.
Parking for Hospitals
Hospitals can have up to 100 parking spaces.
Commercial Uses
For Use Group 6A, 6C, or 10A the Maximum number of parking spaces would be one per 4,000 square feet up to a maximum of 10 spaces.
See other posts we wrote on Use Group 6 and Use Group 10 to learn more.
Other Commercial or Manufacturing Uses
The Maximum number of parking spaces would be one per 4,000 square feet up to a maximum of 100 spaces.
Public Parking Lots in the Manhattan Core
There are certain areas of the Manhattan Core where public parking lots are not allowed.
Manhattan Core Zoning & Parking Regulations
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 the Manhattan Core. 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 the Manhattan Core.
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.
