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Projects & Proposals > Brooklyn > South Park Slope

South Park Slope Rezoning - Approved!
Existing Context and Zoning

Overview | Existing Context and Zoning | Proposed Zoning

Neighborhood Character

Rowhouses on Prospect Avenue between Eighth and Ninth Avenues

South Park Slope is a predominantly residential neighborhood, characterized by row houses of two to four stories. The neighborhood was initially developed in the late 1800s and early 1900s, primarily as worker housing for the industries along the Sunset Park waterfront, the Gowanus Canal and Green-Wood Cemetery.

Fifth Avenue is the neighborhood’s primary commercial corridor, with single-story commercial buildings mixed with three- and four-story buildings with ground-floor retail spaces and two to three floors of apartments above. There are also ground-floor neighborhood shops and services along Third and Seventh avenues and parts of Eighth Avenue.

The western edge of the rezoning area, on Fourth Avenue, has several large lots with one-story warehouse/commercial buildings. On 16th Street, between Fourth and Sixth Avenues, there are several lots with narrow street frontage but which extend far into the interior of the blocks. These 'flag lots' were once used as driveways to accessory parking garages in the back yards. Several of these lots have recently been issued building permits for the construction of twelve-story residential buildings.

The M, N and R trains run beneath Fourth Avenue, and serve the proposed rezoning area with stations at Prospect Avenue and 25th Street. The F train has stations at the northeastern corner of the rezoning area at Prospect Park West and 15th Street and just north of the rezoning area at Fourth Avenue and 9th Street. Four bus lines serve the area – the B63 on Fifth Avenue, the B67 on Seventh Avenue, and the B69 and B75 which terminate in the southeastern corner of the area.

Existing Context and Zoning

Existing Zoning Map

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Most of the rezoning area is currently zoned R5 and R6, designations that have been in place since adoption of the Zoning Resolution in 1961. C1-3 and C2-3 commercial overlay districts are mapped on Third, Fourth, Fifth and Seventh Avenues, and a small area surrounding the Bartel Pritchard Square traffic circle is zoned R8B.

R5
An R5 district is located in the area generally between Seventh Avenue and Prospect Park West. Residential and community facility uses are permitted in R5 districts, with a maximum floor area ratio (FAR) of 1.25 for residential use (1.65 for infill sites) and 2.0 for community facilities. The height limit for residential uses is 40 feet. R5 permits all types of residential buildings including detached and semi-detached homes, row houses and small apartment buildings.

R6
An R6 district is located in the area generally between Fourth Avenue and Prospect Park West, as well as in the midblocks between Third and Fourth Avenues and on 16th Street between Seventh Avenue and Prospect Park West. Residential and community facility uses are permitted in R6 zoning districts, with no height limits and a maximum FAR of 2.43 for residential uses and 4.8 for community facility uses. The optional Quality Housing program in R6 districts permits buildings with a maximum FAR of 2.2 and a maximum building height of 55 feet on narrow streets (less than 75 feet wide). On wide streets, Quality Housing allows 3.0 FAR buildings with a maximum building height of 70 feet.

R8B
The small R8B district surrounding Bartel Pritchard Square permits 4.0 FAR residential and community facility buildings with building heights of up to 75 feet and maximum base heights before setback of 60 feet. New multifamily residences in R8B districts within Brooklyn must provide off-street parking spaces for 40 percent of the dwelling units.

Out-of-context building on 22nd Street between Fifth and Sixth Avenues

Neighboring out-of-context building on 15th Street between Fifth and Sixth Avenues

Overview | Existing Context and Zoning | Proposed Zoning

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Brief explanations of terms in green italics can be viewed by clicking on the term. Words and phrases followed by an asterisk (*) are defined terms in the Zoning Resolution, primarily in Section 12-10. Consult the Zoning Resolution for the official and legally binding definitions of these words and phrases.