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1281 Broadway zoning and development potential

1281 Broadway, Brooklyn 11221 is a 12,245 square foot lot zoned C4-3. RunEnvelope’s engine finds an as-of-right scheme with homes of 52,953 sf (Residential + Community Facility), against 12,500 sf built on the lot today.

The lot

BBL
3-03293-0025
Block / lot
3293 / 25
Community district
Brooklyn Community District 4
Zoning
C4-3
Lot area
12,245 sf
Frontage x depth
80 ft x 250 ft
Lot type
Through
Current use
Commercial and office
Built today
12,500 sf, 1 floor
Year built
1995
Built FAR
1.02

Permitted floor area against what is built

Built on the lot today12,500 sf
Largest scheme with homes: Residential + Community Facility52,953 sf
Largest scheme, any use: Community Facility58,776 sf

That leaves 40,453 sf more floor area than stands here now, if the existing building were replaced.

City Planning’s PLUTO file lists a residential FAR of 2.43 for this lot, which at 12,245 sf of land is 29,755 sf. The engine’s largest residential-only scheme without an affordability obligation (Max Apartments) holds 36,735 sf, 23% more than that simple multiplication suggests.

  • Wide street frontage
  • FRESH food store zone
  • Irregular lot shape

Development scenarios

The largest 6 as-of-right schemes RunEnvelope’s engine produced for this lot, by zoning floor area. A full study also models the building itself: floor plates, heights, setbacks, unit mix and parking.

SchemeTypeFloor areaFARHomes
Community FacilityCommunity facility58,7764.80None
Residential + Community FacilityMixed use with homes52,9534.3242
UAP (City of Yes)Income-restricted housing47,7553.9054
AIRS Senior Housing (100% Affordable)Income-restricted housing47,7553.9054
Max CommercialCommercial41,6333.40None
Max ApartmentsHousing36,7353.0054

Floor area is zoning floor area in square feet. Highlighted: the largest scheme with homes. Income-restricted schemes (Universal Affordability Preference, AIRS senior housing) require a share or all of the homes to be affordable. Shared housing counts rooms, not apartments. Schemes that need a landmark transfer of development rights, the FRESH food store bonus or a stack of every program are left off this page; the full study shows them.

What these numbers are

As-of-right only: what the Zoning Resolution allows without a variance, special permit or rezoning. Computed by RunEnvelope’s zoning engine on October 23, 2026 from PLUTO 26v2 lot data, in screening mode: the engine uses the City’s recorded lot area and dimensions, not a surveyed lot outline.

This is not a professional opinion, an appraisal or a statement that anything will or should be built here. Existing tenants, leases and the owner’s plans are not part of it.

What a full study checks

  • ■The actual lot outline, street frontages and yards, not PLUTO's recorded dimensions
  • ■Easements, restrictive declarations and zoning lot agreements on record
  • ■Landmark, waterfront and flood rules that apply to the specific building
  • ■Height, setback and floor-by-floor massing, with floor plans
  • ■Unit count, parking and the affordability program terms

Why this lot has a page: we publish pages only for lots that clear a set of data quality and headroom tests.

This is the screening number. Get the study for 1281 Broadway.

Run the full study