White Paper

Control of Land Use By Zoning

 
New York City adopted the Nation’s first comprehensive set of zoning controls in 1916, known as the Building Zone Resolution. New York’s regulation of land development by zoning was a response to buildings such as the 42-story Equitable Building that was developed on lower Broadway. The building threw a large shadow across Broadway, which neighboring property owners complained deprived their lots of access to light and air. In addition, there was growing concern about the need to control the location of different uses in the city, particularly those uses that were considered incompatible with the surrounding neighborhoods. New York's 1916 Building Zone Resolution established controls on the bulk of new buildings involving the regulation of their heights and setbacks. The city’s zoning ordinance also separated what were deemed incompatible uses through the establishment of three separate districts: Residential, Business, and Unrestricted. In the Residential district, there were no businesses or industries permitted. The Business district allowed for specific businesses and industries. The Unrestricted district, permitted a broad spectrum of residential business and industrial uses.

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Faculty

Ron Mandel

Davidoff Hutcher & Citron LLP