The rezoning area is located in the Far West Village neighborhood in Community District 2.  It extends west of Greenwich Street, roughly from Barrow Street on the south to Horatio Street on the north.  The neighborhood is characterized by lower-scale, streetwall buildings with a predominant building height of 80 feet or less.  Washington and Greenwich streets generally contain three- to five-story apartment buildings.  The side streets are similarly developed and also contain rows of townhouses, some of which date to the Federal period.  A number of large structures originally built for warehouse use are interspersed throughout the rezoning area.  Even with these variations, the majority of the buildings is predominantly residential, and has bulk characteristics more in line with lower density districts. Washington and Greenwich streets have ground floor retail uses which are typically small-scale, eating and drinking establishments and local retail. 

The predominant land use is residential or mixed-use residential with ground floor retail spaces.   Approximately 80% of all lots have residential use, and the majority of those are low- and mid-rise structures.  Approximately 25% of all lots in the area are occupied by a mix of uses, typically residential on the upper floors and ground-floor retail along the avenues.   Twelve percent of all lots contain commercial/office uses and parking facilities occupy the remaining lots. 


Existing Zoning
The subject portion of Washington and Greenwich Streets is mapped as a C6-1 zoning district, which allows medium-density residential and commercial development.  This non-contextual district was established in 1981 and is 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, except as governed by the sky exposure plane, and new development is not required to line up at the street line.  While the significantly higher commercial FAR may have been appropriate at a time when the objective was to facilitate the development of  commercial uses in the area, it also allows medium density hotels and office buildings in what has developed into a predominantly residential neighborhood.  The higher commercial FAR allowed under the C6-1 district regulations has been of particular concern to community residents.

Existing Zoning Map View a larger image.

Buildings Height Map View a larger image.

Land Use Map View a larger image.