37-30 Special Ground Floor Level Streetscape Provisions for Certain Areas

Section 37-30, inclusive, specifies ground floor level requirements that establish consistent standards for a minimum depth for certain uses, a maximum width for certain uses, minimum transparency requirements, and parking wrap and screening requirements, and minimum requirements for blank walls that apply in conjunction with requirements set forth for certain Commercial Districts in the supplemental use provisions of Section 32-40, inclusive, for Quality Housing buildings in certain Commercial Districts subject to supplemental provisions for qualifying ground floors; for certain Manufacturing Districts in Section 42-485 (Streetscape provisions); for zoning lots subject to the off-street parking regulations in the Manhattan Core in Article I, Chapter 3; for zoning lots subject to the special provisions for waterfront areas and, FRESH food stores, and flood zones in Article VI, Chapters 2 and, 3, and 4 respectively; and for zoning lots subject to the provisions of certain Special Purpose Districts.

However, the ground floor depth requirements for certain uses and minimum transparency requirements of Sections 37-32 and 37-34, respectively, shall not apply to:

The following definitions shall apply throughout Section 37-30 (SPECIAL GROUND FLOOR LEVEL STREETSCAPE PROVISIONS FOR CERTAIN AREAS), inclusive.

Ground floor level

For the purposes of Section 37-30, inclusive, the "ground floor level" shall refer to a building's lowest story.

Primary street frontage

For the purposes of Section 37-30, inclusive, a "primary street frontage" shall be the portion of the ground floor level street frontage along any of the following:

The minimum depth for required ground floor non-residential uses, as applicable, shall be as set forth in this Section, except as set forth in Section 37-31 (Applicability).

Required ground floor level non-residential uses along a primary street frontage or a designated retail street specified in a Special Purpose District, as applicable, shall have a minimum depth of 30 feet, as measured perpendicular to the ground floor level street wall. However, such minimum depth requirement may be reduced, to the minimum extent necessary, to accommodate vertical circulation cores or structural columns associated with upper stories of the building.

The maximum width of lobbies, entrances and exits to accessory off-street parking facilities, and entryways to subway stations is set forth in this Section.

The ground floor level street wall along a primary street frontage or a designated retail street set forth in a Special Purpose District, as applicable, shall be glazed with transparent materials which may include show windows, transom windows or glazed portions of doors, except as set forth in Section 37-31 (Applicability).

Such transparent materials shall occupy at least 50 percent of the surface area of such ground floor level street wall between a height of two feet and 12 feet, or the height of the ground floor ceiling, whichever is higher, as measured from the adjoining sidewalk. Transparent materials provided to satisfy such 50 percent requirement shall not begin higher than 2 feet, 6 inches, above the level of the adjoining sidewalk, with the exception of transom windows, or portions of windows separated by mullions or other structural dividers, and shall have a minimum width of two feet. The maximum width of a portion of the ground floor level street wall without transparency shall not exceed 10 feet.

However, such transparency requirements shall not apply to portions of the ground floor level occupied by entrances or exits to accessory off-street parking facilities and public parking garages, where permitted, entryways to required loading berths, where permitted, entryways to subway stations, as applicable, or doors accessing emergency egress stairwells and passageways.

All accessory off-street parking spaces on the ground floor level of a building shall be wrapped by floor area in accordance with paragraph (a) or, where applicable, screened in accordance with applicable provisions of paragraph (b) of this Section.

The height and width of blank walls and the applicable percent coverage of mitigation elements are set forth in this Section. Blank wall surfaces shall be calculated on the ground floor level street wall except in the flood zone, blank wall surfaces shall be calculated between the level of the adjoining sidewalk and the level of the first story above the flood elevation as defined in Section 64-11(Definitions).

The different types of blank walls are established below and the type of blank wall that applies is determined by the provisions of each applicable Section.