The Universal Affordability Preference lets 25 districts build past their base floor area, as of right, when the extra space is permanently affordable. Here is what that is worth on a specific site.
The bonus adds 9,000 sq ft — about 13 more homes — and every one of those square feet has to be permanently affordable housing. So roughly 9,000 sq ft of the finished building is affordable, at a weighted average of 60% of area median income.
Because the affordable floor area is at or above 10,000 sq ft, at least 20% of it must go deeper, to an average of 40% of area median income.
Floor area only. The height envelope, required yards, lot shape and any overlay or special district all cut into this, and on many lots one of them binds before the FAR does.
Base floor area against the UAP maximum, and the height that comes with it.
| District | Base FAR | With UAP | Gain | Height with UAP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| R6 | 3 | 3.9 | +0.9 | 95 ft |
| R6-1 | 3 | 3.9 | +0.9 | 95 ft |
| R6-2 | 2.5 | 3 | +0.5 | 75 ft |
| R6A | 3 | 3.9 | +0.9 | 95 ft |
| R6B | 2 | 2.4 | +0.4 | 65 ft |
| R6D | 2.5 | 3 | +0.5 | 75 ft |
| R7-1 | 4 | 5.01 | +1.01 | 115 ft |
| R7-2 | 4 | 5.01 | +1.01 | 115 ft |
| R7-3 | 5 | 6 | +1 | 145 ft |
| R7A | 4 | 5.01 | +1.01 | 115 ft |
| R7B | 3 | 3.9 | +0.9 | 95 ft |
| R7D | 4.66 | 5.6 | +0.94 | 125 ft |
| R7X | 5 | 6 | +1 | 145 ft |
| R8A | 6.02 | 7.2 | +1.18 | 145 ft |
| R8B | 4 | 4.8 | +0.8 | 95 ft |
| R8X | 6.02 | 7.2 | +1.18 | 175 ft |
| R9-1 | 9 | 10.8 | +1.8 | 215 ft |
| R9A | 7.52 | 9.02 | +1.5 | 185 ft |
| R9D | 9 | 10.8 | +1.8 | 215 ft |
| R9X | 9 | 10.8 | +1.8 | 215 ft |
| R10A | 10 | 12 | +2 | 235 ft |
| R10H | 10 | 12 | +2 | 235 ft |
| R10X | 10 | 12 | +2 | 235 ft |
| R11 | 12 | 15 | +3 | 325 ft |
| R12 | 15 | 18 | +3 | 395 ft |
Accessory Dwelling Units — one ADU per lot as-of-right
Campus Infill — institutional campuses can build housing
Landmark TDR — Chair certification for air rights transfer (20% cap)
Office-to-Residential Conversion — expanded eligibility in M1/C5/C6
Shared Housing — shared kitchen/bath permitted in R6+ districts
Shared Housing (SRO) — legalized in R6+ districts
Town Center Zoning — residential permitted in commercial districts
Universal Affordability Preference — 20% FAR bonus for affordable housing
UAP is the floor area bonus created by the City of Yes for Housing Opportunity amendment, effective 5 December 2024. It lets a development exceed the base floor area of its district, as of right, where the additional floor area is permanently affordable housing at a weighted average of 60% of area median income.
As of right. That is the substantive change. The older inclusionary housing bonus required a mapped area; UAP applies across the districts listed above without a discretionary action, which is why it changes underwriting rather than just policy.
One square foot of permanently affordable floor area for each square foot of bonus floor area. Where the affordable floor area reaches 10,000 square feet, at least 20% of it must be deeper still, at an average of 40% of area median income.
They are different mechanisms and interact rather than simply stacking: MIH applies where the City has mapped it and sets a floor on affordability, while UAP is a citywide as-of-right bonus. Which governs, and what the combined obligation is, depends on the lot. See the affordability reference for the MIH options and the rent bands.
Figures from the City of Yes rule set in the Envelope engine, ZR 27-16. A calculator is not a feasibility study — see the affordability reference for MIH and the rent bands.