Special rules seek to protect residential neighborhoods and encourage development of day care and medical facilities in commercial districts. On January 18, 2011, the City Council approved the Department of City Planning’s amendment to the Lower Density Growth Management Area (LDGMA) regulations that apply to Staten Island and Bronx Community District 10. The amendment limits the development of out-of-context medical facilities and day care centers in low-density residential areas and encourages their construction in commercial districts. It also eases commercial regulations that restricted residential expansion and development in appropriate areas of Staten Island.

The amendment is the latest modification to the City’s LDGMA zoning regulations applicable to areas within Staten Island and Bronx CD 10 which are characterized by rapid growth, high vehicle ownership, and limited access to mass transit. 1 CityLand 4 (Oct. 15, 2004), 2 CityLand 164 (Dec. 2005). The City last revised the LDGMA regulations to close a parking requirement loophole in the Throgs Neck section of the Bronx. 7 CityLand 37 (April 15, 2010). (read more…)

Text amendment closes loophole in zoning resolution that allowed developers to avoid providing off-street parking in eastern Bronx. On March 25, 2010, the City Council approved the Department of City Planning’s text amendment addressing parking issues in mid-density residential districts found primarily in Westchester Square and Pelham, and near Westchester Avenue in Co-Op City within Bronx Community District 10. The amendment expands the definition of CD 10’s Lower Density Growth Management Area to include R6 and R7-1 districts for the purposes of increasing off-street parking requirements.

The Lower Density Growth Management Area in CD 10 was established as part of the Throgs Neck Rezoning in 2004 in order to protect the character of low-density neighborhoods with limited access to public transit, limited availability of off-street parking, and high rates of vehicle ownership. 1 CityLand4 (Oct. 15, 2004). The 2004 designation only included R2, R3, R4A, and R4-1 zoning districts within CD 10. Over the past several years, however, community groups and elected officials have noted that the area’s mid-density districts have experienced the same problems as the lower-density districts. In addition to expanding CD 10’s Lower Density Growth Management Area, the amendment includes revisions to the parking provisions to close a loophole allowing developers who subdivided their lots to avoid providing off-street parking. (read more…)