To understand what R, C and M mean, and what any address in the city actually allows.
“Who gets what, when and how” has long been my, and lots of other people’s, go-to definition of politics.
In New York City, one of the biggest determinants of “politics” is land use and zoning policy.
Using public data, information, and history, this page shows my best effort thus far in explaining it. Check it out and let me know what you think.
Mike Racioppo
Step 1Find a place
Start with a place you know
Your building. The corner you walk past every day. The store that closed. Type it in and see the rules that shaped it, and what those rules would allow instead.
Or try one
↓Once you pick an address, Step 2 below fills in automatically with that lot’s zoning, so you can ask what could be done there.
🧩Step 2Can I do this here?Pick what you want to do. If the answer is no, Step 3 shows you how to change it.open
⚠The letter is a name, not a descriptionR is not only housing. C is not without housing. M is not only factories.📍250 Baltic StreetOne lot, four sets of rules, four different answers.read🏛Brooklyn Borough HallThe opposite. Three sets of rules govern it and none of them is zoning.📊The full chartEvery district against every Use Group, with the key to the symbols.open
📍What a district isZoning, historic, community, council. Different agencies, different rules, and they do not line up.open📋How a use actually gets changedPaperwork, special permit, variance or rezoning, and when each applies.open📚All ten Use GroupsWhat each kind of district lets you do.open
District type
📚GlossaryEvery term the city uses. Search it or browse it.open