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159-17 Jamaica Avenue zoning and development potential

159-17 Jamaica Avenue, Queens 11432 is a 7,000 square foot lot zoned C6-4. RunEnvelope’s engine finds an as-of-right scheme with homes of 84,000 sf (AIRS Senior Housing (100% Affordable)), against 11,000 sf built on the lot today.

The lot

BBL
4-09756-0060
Block / lot
9756 / 60
Community district
Queens Community District 12
Zoning
C6-4
Lot area
7,000 sf
Frontage x depth
50 ft x 140 ft
Lot type
Inside
Current use
Commercial and office
Built today
11,000 sf, 2 floors
Year built
1931
Built FAR
1.57

Permitted floor area against what is built

Built on the lot today11,000 sf
Largest scheme with homes: AIRS Senior Housing (100% Affordable)84,000 sf

That leaves 73,000 sf more floor area than stands here now, if the existing building were replaced. The largest scheme with homes and no affordability obligation holds 70,000 sf (Max Apartments).

City Planning’s PLUTO file lists a residential FAR of 10.00 for this lot, which at 7,000 sf of land is 70,000 sf. The engine’s largest residential-only scheme without an affordability obligation (Max Apartments) holds 70,000 sf, close to that simple multiplication.

  • Wide street frontage
  • Mandatory Inclusionary Housing area
  • Opportunity Zone tract
  • FRESH food store zone
  • E-designation on the lot

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
AIRS Senior Housing (100% Affordable)Income-restricted housing84,00012.0091
Max CommercialCommercial84,00012.00None
Max ApartmentsHousing70,00010.00103
Max Residential (Sky Exposure Plane)Housing70,00010.0090
Commercial OverlayMixed use with homes70,00010.0072
Community FacilityCommunity facility70,00010.00None

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 25, 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 159-17 Jamaica Avenue.

Run the full study