NYC Department of City Planning

The ZoLa 2.0 update adds features that allow users to customize maps, view explanatory information, and see indicators about a property. On March 5, 2019, Department of City Planning Director Marissa Lago announced improvements to the agency’s Zoning and Land Use Application (ZoLa). ZoLa is a free online mapping tool that provides simple ways to research zoning regulations for a property, discover new land use proposals in a neighborhood, and view the location of historic districts and waterfront access plans.

ZoLa is part of a series of online platforms that City Planning has produced to increase transparency and public engagement. Other City Planning platforms include: ZAP Search, Zoning Resolution Online, Population Fact Finder, Community District Profiles, Metro Region Explorer, Waterfront Access Map and NYC Street Map.

The ZoLa 2.0 update brings helpful, requested features to increase the webtool’s transparency, customization, and usefulness for all New Yorkers. Zola 2.0 is now compatible with more web browsers and has faster performance and loading times than before. ZoLa now allows for printing of custom street maps and formatted profiles of zoning and tax lots. ZoLa also now displays street widths to help property owners better understand what can be built on their site. For properties that are subject to a special Waterfront Zoning, a new indicator has been added with links to additional information as to special rules that may apply to such a property.

The ZoLa 2.0 update also features newly added links to information on other zoning designations for a particular property, such as FRESH or Transit Zones. The update also added a link to the Department of Housing Preservation and Development’s Building, Registration, and Violation System which allows users to view information on a building such as owner information, year built, lot depth, and landlord violations or other tenant related issues with a property.

“Increasing transparency and enhancing public engagement are in DCP’s DNA. It’s vital that we build new, easy-to-use and free digital tools, and improve existing ones. DCP’s new ZoLa is faster, sleeker and niftier than the original. For example, ZoLa now lets you create and print custom street maps, and the new and improved ZoLa is chock-a-block full of hands-on ways to learn about zoning on your block, in your neighborhood, and anywhere throughout our city,” said City Planning Director Marisa Lago.

By: Viktoriya Gray & May Vutrapongvatana