Existing Context
The rezoning area is located in Community District 3 and directly adjacent to Community District 2.  It is centrally located and shares land use and streetscape characteristics with a number of nearby neighborhoods, including the East Village directly to the east, Union Square to the north, and Greenwich Village and NoHo to the west and south.  Because the rezoning area is formed by two wide streets which are not in line with the traditional Manhattan grid, it consists of four irregularly-shaped blocks, which gradually increase in land area from the south to the north, and which generally share common patterns with regard to building height and massing with similarly adjacent dense, mixed-use areas nearby.  The rezoning area is generally characterized by low- to mid-rise, residential or mixed-use buildings with a strong streetwall presence.  One notable exception is a high-rise dormitory building on East 12th Street which is set back from the street line at a side-street location and rises to a height of 23 stories.  Ground-floor retail is found along the major north-south avenues, as well as on several mid-block locations along the side streets.  These are typically smaller-scale, eating and drinking establishments and local retail stores; two notable exceptions include the Cooper Square Post Office building at the corner of Fourth Avenue and East 11th Street and the landmark Webster Hall and Annex site on East 11th Street.

The existing land use within the rezoning area, in the table below, is predominantly multi-family apartment buildings or mixed-use residential with ground-floor retail spaces, although there is also a significant institutional presence due to the existence of a number of large dormitory buildings, particularly along the east side of Third Avenue.  Approximately 70% of all lots have some residential use, and the majority of those are multiple-dwelling buildings, including low- and mid-rise structures with ground-floor retail.  Approximately 11% of all lots have either public facilities or institutional buildings, many of which also have ground-floor retail along the avenues.  Commercial uses represent roughly 20% of all lots and include the Webster Hall and Annex sites on East 11th Street, as well as a multiple-screen movie theater building at the corner of Third Avenue and East 11th Street.


Summary of Existing Allowed Density and Building Form

Existing Zoning
	Allowed Density (FAR)							Building Form
	Use:	Residential			Commercial	Community Facility		Bulk Controls
	Underlying Zoning District	Base FAR	Inclusionary Housing Bonus	Max. FAR	Max. FAR	Max. FAR		Building base streetwall (feet)		Building Height max.
								min.	max.
	C6-1	N/A	N/A	3.44	6.0	6.5		–	–	–

Existing Zoning

Recent Out-of-Scale Development (East 13th Street, view to the west)

The Third Avenue Corridor rezoning area is mapped as a C6-1 zoning district, for medium-density residential and commercial development.  This non-contextual district was established in 1961 and is generally not consistent with the built character of the rezoning area.  In particular, it allows height-factor buildings, which are not subject to streetwall or maximum building height limits.

The C6-1 zoning district designation permits a wide range of commercial uses.  Residential uses are permitted up to a maximum 3.44 Floor Area Ratio (FAR), commercial uses up to a maximum 6.0 FAR and community facility uses up to a maximum 6.5 FAR.  Streetwall and overall building heights are not strictly limited in these districts, except as governed by the sky exposure plane, and new development is not required to line up at the street line.

Existing Zoning Map View a larger image.

Buildings Height Map View a larger image.

Land Use Map View a larger image.