How New York can build housing
The report also proposes streamlining the Department of City Planning’s process for private rezonings and moving fire code plan review and inspections to the Department of Buildings, where the rest of plan review occurs. For instance, the plan calls for mandated minimum densities near commuter rail stations, a state appeals process for local denial of land use actions, removing regulatory barriers to potential office-to-residential conversions, and reforming the state environmental review law to enable more housing. In 1961, the Legislature capped new and converted residential buildings at a floor area ratio (FAR) of 12.0 due to unfounded fears of “vertical slums.” This cap limits housing production and the benefits of zoning changes in some of New York’s wealthiest neighborhoods — many of which are already at or above the 12.0 FAR limit — while also constraining the feasibility of converting outdated post-war office buildings to housing.
