This post has been converted from a Twitter thread

we could’ve had 55 million people here :/

big mental_gymnastics.meme energy

Parking maximums?

Articulation allowance sounds… sketchy? Wat means

Seems fine I guess, but I’m unsure that it’s a good idea to control aesthetic decisions through zoning code lmao

Note to self: neon New York is threatened by signage rules. Can’t have illuminated signs everywhere

“For residential buildings, open areas in front of a building may be required to be planted with grass or other vegetation.”

Curb cut limitations mentioned! Not much detail yet, curious if it’s filled in later

If a building is being altered within zoning regulations it can be done “as of right”

If modifications are required that’s called “discretionary action”

The special permits are issued by either the City Planning Commission or Board of Standards and Appeals

CPC is for wider planning decisions, BSA for narrower land use considerations

Spot zoning, that is zoning for the individual and lacking any land use rationale is illegal apparently. Good to know

You can apply for a variance if you have undue hardship because of the zoning regulations

Split lots between zones can be handled in two ways

If the smaller portion of the split is less than 25 ft off the line, the larger district can be used for both portions

Otherwise you can do a mix – eg a weighted average of both zones present for FAR

Ok now this is weird and interesting. When you _under_build on a lot wrt zoning, you still keep the rights to the unbuilt space. You can either

Merge the underbuilt lot with another lot to develop or enlarge the other building

Or transfer the development rights

So when you transfer it’s usually from a landmarked building or theater or some special building

I’m confused because the difference doesn’t seem obvious to me?

Oh! This makes sense!

TDR can happen for non adjacent buildings. You reduce the incentive to tear down old buildings to densify the area, since you can utilize the density that the old building “possesses” but doesn’t use

Hm one of these is not like the rest. What’s going on in Sheepshead Bay?

Chatgpt says it’s to preserve the waterfront. Not to make it awkward but New York is all waterfront and Sheepshead Bay is not the premiere example of it

Note to self to dig into Sheepshead Bay later

How a house gets put together zoning wise

The only thing funny here is that there are legally required windows that are mandated to be a certain minimum distance from each other

Let me live in my goddamn windowless hovel

History doesn’t repeat, but it rhymes

Ok this is a bit of a stretch lol

Ok so the next section has three case studies on zoning. As of right, conversion of a grandfathered building, and a special permit

Fyi City Planning Commission reports contain all previous actions taken by the CPC

There’s also a zoning helpdesk, zoningdesk@planning.nyc.gov

Quick diversion. We all know that San Francisco thinks new housing is a crime – so how do they handle As of Right development?

Chatgpt says….

– Permitting from SF DOB (DBI) takes forever
– CEQA. Oh boy, environmental review how prevalent you are…
– Community opposition. Apparently while as of right can’t be stopped, it can be appealed and sent to discretionary review. Environmental review can be delayed and litigated
– Legal challenges over zoning interpretation
– Coordination between various city departments
– Historical status, which is discussed in the next tweet

The average applicant waits 627 days for a permit to build a house in SF

So historical stuff. Pretty much everywhere in SF is historical. See image below. Even if the building isn’t listed in a historical register, it can be at any time.

If the building is older than 50 years old, it can also be considered historical!!!

Every time I dive into the SF building regs I can’t look away. You need a permit to replace a window. Any window! Anywhere!

Ok ok let’s get back to New York. Let’s compare and contrast.

According to chatgpt, the DOB is quicker with permits, there is less community opposition, and less historical regulations

Supposedly there’s a similar environmental law to CEQA, called CEQR

Huh so permits do appear to happen MUCH faster. Chatgpt confirmed these numbers are ballpark correct.

That’s an insane difference

Quick additional digression, SF has significantly better websites / tech than NYC, and yet appears to me to be much more dysfunctional in governance. There’s a lesson there. I should say more about this in a different thread

New York Landmark Preservation Commission (LPC) seems to treat historical buildings individually, whereas SF reviews each building >50 years.

Seems to be less public involvement as well

Ok next few pages I’m just gonna put in without comment. Interesting case study of a guy trying to figure out what can be put as of right in an empty lot

This is what my ideology is fyi in case you’re wondering what energy I’m bringing is