| The Department of City Planning
is proposing a zoning map amendment that would
affect 44 blocks in south-central Harlem. It
is the first comprehensive revision of south-central
Harlem zoning since the last major revision
of the Zoning Resolution in 1961. The
area to be rezoned is generally bounded
by Central Park North, West 124th Street,
Morningside Avenue and a point 100 feet
west of Adam Clayton Powell Jr Boulevard
in Manhattan’s Community Districts
9 and 10. Most of the area is now zoned
R7-2 and R8, medium-density residential
districts, and is characterized by five-
to eight-story residential buildings along
the avenues and three- to five-story rowhouses
on the mid-blocks.
The Department’s proposed zoning strategy,
which balances growth and preservation in
south-central Harlem’s residential core,
would:
- Foster
new opportunities for residential development.
To help address Harlem's growing need for
new housing, the rezoning proposal calls
for modest increases in residential density
on Frederick Douglass Boulevard and on most
mid-blocks.
- Promote
building forms that are more compatible
with the existing urban fabric.
South-central Harlem’s R7-2 and
R8 districts are governed by ‘height
factor’ regulations which encourage
development of tall towers set back from
the street, a building form inconsistent
with the prevailing low- to mid-rise character
of the area. Residential avenues and mid-blocks
in the area are typified by rowhouses
with consistent streetwalls and cornice
lines. To preserve these blockfronts,
the proposal calls for contextual
zoning districts that would mandate
new buildings of comparable scale and
height.
- Expand
opportunities for new ground floor commercial
uses. New small businesses and stores
are opening throughout south-central Harlem
to support a growing community. In support
of this trend, the proposal would map new
commercial overlays along West 116th Street,
to provide new opportunities for ground
floor retail development.
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Brownstone Lane (the brown buildings in the photo that abut NoHa at West 119th Street) completely redeveloped the mid-block and was also facilitated by the FDB rezoning.
Vacant site, at West 118th Street and
Frederick Douglass Blvd, would be rezoned
from R7-2 to R8A to enhance its development
potential
The Triangle
Building, Frederick Douglass Blvd. and St.
Nicholas Ave.
(photo courtesy of HPD)
Vacant site, at West 118th Street and
Frederick Douglass Blvd, would be rezoned
from R7-2 to R8A to enhance its development
potential
The rezoning proposal would preserve
areas with strong built contexts like this
block on Morningside Ave between West 122nd
and West 123rd streets
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