The rezoning proposes to change all blocks of the Cord Meyer-Forest Hills rezoning area from an R1-2 district to an R1-2A district. The proposed R1-2A is a new residential zoning district that was developed in conjunction with the North Flushing Rezoning. R1-2A is a contextual district that includes height limits, limited floor area exemptions and front yard regulations to more predictably regulate the scale of new residential development. The proposed R1-2A zoning text was referred for public comment on January 20, 2009. View the  proposed text amendment.
Most current R1-2 regulations governing housing type, maximum FAR, lot size and lot width would be unchanged in the proposed R1-2A district. The main components of the R1-2A are:
Floor Area Regulations Regarding the Exemption of Lowest-Floor Space that Includes a Garage: Under the current R1-2 the lowest story of a residence does not count as floor area if such floor contains a garage. This can result in buildings substantially taller and bulkier than surrounding buildings. The proposed R1-2A would allow a floor area exemption of only the floor space used for the garage, up to a maximum exemption of 300 square feet for a one-car garage, or 500 square feet for a two-car garage. Additionally, the new R1-2A district would allow an increase in the maximum floor area if a detached garage is constructed in a rear yard, with a maximum increase of 300 square feet for a one-car garage or 500 square feet for a two-car garage. The maximum lot coverage would be 30 percent and detached garages would not count in the calculation for lot coverage.
Maximum Building Height and Perimeter Wall Height Regulations: The R1-2 has no building height limits and the building envelope is determined by the sky exposure plane. The proposed R1-2A district would have a maximum perimeter height of 25 feet and a maximum building height of 35 feet.
Front Yard Regulations: Both the R1-2 and R1-2A require a minimum front yard depth of 20 feet. The proposed R1-2A has the additional requirement that a front yard be as deep as an adjacent front yard, up to a depth of 25 feet from the street line.
Zoning District Comparison Diagram
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