Adams Unveils Overhaul of NYC Zoning Regulations

Mayor Eric Adams on Thursday unveiled an overhaul of NYC’s zoning regulations that aims to squeeze more housing into every neighborhood, facilitating the development of 100K new homes over the next 15 years.

The proposed measures include allowing the construction of two- to four-story additions above ground-floor commercial space and an NYC version of Granny flats—dwelling units as large as 800K SF on the properties of one- and two-family homes.

Other proposed changes include eliminating a requirement for new parking spots to be built alongside new homes and relaxing the rules on shared living options in small apartments.

Adams, who also is moving forward to on plans to rezone large swaths of Midtown and Brooklyn from light manufacturing to residential, said the proposed adjustment announced this week is designed to enable the construction of “a little more housing in every neighborhood.”

“For more than 60 years, we have added layers upon layers of regulations, effectively outlawing the kinds of housing that our city has long relied on,” Adams said in a statement.

The mayor added that the proposed changes would “remove longstanding barriers to opportunity, finally end exclusionary zoning, cut red tape and transform our city from the ground up.”

Although NYC’s housing crisis becomes more urgent by the day, it could take up to a year for Adams proposals to be enacted. The proposals will face a public review early next year and then will be put to a vote next fall by the city council and planning commission.

Earlier this year, Adams unveiled NYC’s plan to rezone a 13-block stretch of Atlantic Avenue in Brooklyn to allow for the development of 4,000 new homes, of which 1,500 will be income-restricted. Known as the Atlantic Avenue Mixed-Use Plan, the area will be rezoned from light manufacturing to residential, allowing housing developers to avoid NYC’s time-consuming land use process.

The 13-block stretch of Atlantic Avenue has been zoned M-1 since the 1960s, a designation that only permits low-density commercial and industrial properties.

The plan envisions a high-density mix of housing and ground-floor commercial space along Atlantic Avenue. For the mid-blocks south of Atlantic Avenue between Grand and Franklin avenues, and north of Atlantic along Herkimer Place, the city is planning to introduce a special incentive to promote mixed-use development.

In January, Adams proposed to rezone a wide swath of Midtown Manhattan to facilitate new housing. The proposal encompassed a 46-block area from W. 23rd to W. 41st streets, where NYC wants to erase zoning restrictions that limit uses to offices or manufacturing—allowing dozens of aging office buildings to be converted into apartments.

Adams estimated that the Midtown area covered by the proposal—which stretches from Chelsea up through the Garment District—can yield 20,000 housing units, making a significant contribution to the mayor’s “Moonshot” plan to build 500K new housing units in NYC in the coming decade.

NYC also is preparing a massive rezoning initiative for a 46-block area in proximity to Metro North train stations in the Bronx. The initiative aims to spur the creation of 6,000 new homes, with a minimum of 25% of the new units designated affordable.