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Residence Districts: R3-1 - R3-2 - R3A - R3X
R3-1 contextual districts are the lowest density districts that allow semi-detached one- and two-family residences, as well as detached homes. R3-1 districts generally follow existing patterns of development in the Bronx, Queens, Staten Island and south Brooklyn.
In R3-1 districts, the minimum lot width for detached houses is 40 feet; semi-detached buildings must be on zoning lots that are at least 18 feet wide. For both detached and semi-detached houses, the maximum lot coverage is 35% and the 0.5 floor area ratio (FAR) may be increased by an attic allowance of up to 20% for the inclusion of space beneath a pitched roof. The perimeter wall may rise to 21 feet before sloping or being set back to a maximum building height of 35 feet. The front yard must be at least 15 feet deep. Two side yards with a minimum combined width of 13 feet are required for a detached residence; one eight foot side yard is required for each semi-detached residence. All parking must be located in the side or rear yard or in the garage. An in-house garage is permitted in a semi-detached house, or in a detached house if the lot is 40 feet or wider. One off-street parking space is required for each dwelling unit.
R3-2 districts are general residence districts that allow a variety of housing types, including low-rise attached houses, small multifamily apartment houses, and detached and semi-detached one- and two-family residences. It is the lowest density zoning district in which multiple dwellings are permitted. Because of their flexibility, R3-2 districts are mapped widely in all boroughs except Manhattan.
The 0.5 floor area ratio (FAR) may be increased by an attic allowance of up to 20% for the inclusion of space beneath a pitched roof. The perimeter wall may rise to 21 feet before sloping or being set back to a maximum building height of 35 feet. Lots with detached homes must be at least 40 feet wide; if occupied by semi-detached and attached buildings, lots must be at least 18 feet wide. The maximum street wall length for a building on a zoning lot is 125 feet. The maximum lot coverage of any residence is 35%. Front yards must be at least 15 feet deep. Cars may park in the side or rear yard, in the garage or in the front yard within the side lot ribbon; parking is also allowed within the front yard when the lot is wider than 35 feet. One off-street parking space is required for each dwelling unit. However, requirements are lower for income-restricted housing units (IRHU) and are further modified within the Transit Zone.
Characteristic of many of the city’s older neighborhoods, R3A contextual districts feature modest single- and two-family detached residences on zoning lots as narrow as 25 feet in width. Parts of College Point and Whitestone in Queens, City Island in the Bronx and Port Richmond in Staten Island are typical R3A neighborhoods.
The amount of required open space on residential lots in R3A districts is governed by yard requirements. New detached homes must have two side yards totaling at least eight feet, but there is no minimum width requirement for either one. R3A districts also permit zero lot line buildings which are set along a side lot line and have one side yard at least eight feet wide. The front yard of a new home must be at least 10 feet deep and, to promote a unified streetscape, it must be as deep as an adjacent front yard but need not exceed a depth of 20 feet. The maximum floor area ratio (FAR) of 0.5 may be increased up to 20% by an attic allowance for the inclusion of space beneath a pitched roof. The perimeter wall may rise to 21 feet before sloping or being set back to a maximum building height of 35 feet. Parking is in the side or rear yard but an in-house garage is allowed if the lot is 35 feet or wider, provided the driveway is at least 18 feet deep. One off-street parking space is required for each dwelling unit.
R3X contextual districts, mapped extensively in lower-density neighborhoods, such as Forest Hills in Queens and Prince’s Bay and Westerleigh in Staten Island, permit only one- and two-family detached homes on lots that must be at least 35 feet wide.
The 0.5 floor area ratio (FAR) in R3X districts may be increased by an attic allowance of up to 20% for the inclusion of space beneath a pitched roof. The perimeter wall may rise to 21 feet before sloping or being set back to a maximum building height of 35 feet. The amount of required open space on a lot is governed by yard requirements. Two side yards that total at least 10 feet are required and there must be a minimum distance of eight feet between houses on adjacent lots. The front yard of a new home must be at least 10 feet deep and, to promote a unified streetscape, it must be at least as deep as an adjacent front yard but need not exceed a depth of 20 feet. An in-house garage is permitted within the building provided the driveway is at least 18 feet deep. One off-street parking space is required for each dwelling unit.
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