A New New York: Upzone the Urban Burbs

Portland, OR, recently upzoned its low-density districts to allow up to four dwellings on almost every residential parcel, and up to six dwellings if at least half are affordable. The new rules further encourage development by increasing allowable FAR (floor area ratio) and lot coverage for multifamily homes, while decreasing it for single-family and eliminating parking requirements. This comes on the heels of the complete elimination of single-family zoning and parking minimums in Minneapolis.

Multifamily development in Minneapolis: Image: Wikimedia Commons

New York City should follow suit, and quickly. In Part 5 of our New New York Series, we focus on density, and how New York City can use its regulatory powers to increase and/or shift it; improving per-capita climate impact, infrastructure efficiency, affordability and equity, economic vibrancy, and more.

Just the Facts

About 75% of the city’s ~303 square mile land area is zoned for residential, or housing use. Residential uses are also permitted in nearly all commercial districts. The City allows an enormous diversity of housing types, from gracious mansions on large, sweeping lawns in the outskirts, to supertall residential skyscrapers in the cores. These housing types did not come about by accident. Their bulk (size, shape, and placement) and density (number of dwelling units) are highly regulated through zoning, which differ by district. Per the NYC Zoning Handbook:

• R1 districts are for detached, single-family homes on large lots, with minimum lot areas as high as 9,500 sf, and a minimum of one parking space.
• R2 districts are for detached, single-family homes with minimum lot areas as high as 3,800 sf, and a minimum of one parking space.

• R3 districts allow single- or two-family homes that can be either detached, semi detached, or attached.
• R4 districts allow any kind of housing, from large single-family to small multifamily, but its low FAR — or floor area ratio — permissions limit the size and capacity of a development.
• R5-R10 districts are for medium to high-density, high-FAR, residential buildings that allow many families to live in single buildings, with maximal lot coverage.

This Envelope map illustrates the land dedicated to R1 and R2 districts. Specifically, 18 square miles of land, or 500m+ square feet, or 8% of the total land area of the City, or 15% of the residential land area is given over to the NYC equivalent of suburbs. In fact, over 14% of Queens land area (25% of its residential area) and 11% of Staten Island land (22% of its residential area) is dedicated to low-density districts.

The Benefits of Density

Study after study has shown that urban density — adding more people per square mile of land — can have seriously positive externalities. These include:

1. Lower carbon emissions on a per capita basis. This map of carbon emissions per capita in NYC and surrounding areas, from CoolClimate demonstrates this effect, by zip code.
2. Economic vibrancy and wage increases. Density, especially in areas that have a high concentration of college degrees, like NYC, lays the economic groundwork for commercial establishments, cultural institutions, and other public goods to exist in close proximity. With increased economic activity, wages also increase, which contribute to the tax base, and allow for increasing investment back into the district. Vibrant neighborhoods of this sort are the City of Villages ideal.
3. Infrastructure efficiency. As density increases, the per-capita costs of transit, utilities, sanitation, water, and more, decrease.
4. Housing affordability. While denser doesn’t necessarily mean cheaper (see, most of Manhattan), an overlay of affordability incentives and controls, like those found in the Portland rezoning, can help ensure that mixed income housing can be a permanent feature of these neighborhoods. Reinvestment from increased tax income can ensure that these districts benefit from greater transit, parks, schools, and more.
5. Social benefits. Mixed income, diverse, and dense communities create more opportunities for social interaction between members of different socio-economic and racial groups, leading to a dismantling of barriers to upward social mobility.

If Envelope were Mayor, every R1+R2 district would be upzoned to R3+R4, respectively

We’re not saying that single-family development should be forbidden (although we’re listening), but the zoning code should allow for two- and three-family developments on any lot, at least. The minimum lot size should be recalibrated (in the spirit of Portland) to shrink for single-family developments and grow proportionately for duplexes or triplexes. Parking minimums should be abolished, full-stop. See our last post for more on that.

How would this help NYC?

There are over 92,000 tax lots in R1 and R2 zoning districts. If NYC were to allow for increased density and/or reduced lot sizes, the City theoretically could increase mixed-income housing by up to 300,000 units. With incremental tax revenue from new residents, the City would have the means and incentives to create new parks, schools, and transit options to serve them. Bus rapid transit and protected lanes for micromobility could mesh these farther-flung neighborhoods to nearby commercial hubs and other boroughs.

With densification, a City of Villages — an increasingly appealing, green vision for NYC, and a big step in the right direction as we recover — could be more quickly attained. Density need not be uniform across the City, but the exclusionary zoning practices so derided in the suburbs of NYC are also in play within City limits, and should be reformed.