1608 Ralph Avenue, Brooklyn 11236 is a 55,000 square foot lot zoned R5. RunEnvelope’s engine finds an as-of-right scheme with homes of 110,000 sf (Commercial Overlay), against 27,625 sf built on the lot today.
That leaves 82,375 sf more floor area than stands here now, if the existing building were replaced.
City Planning’s PLUTO file lists a residential FAR of 1.50 for this lot, which at 55,000 sf of land is 82,500 sf. The engine’s largest residential-only scheme without an affordability obligation (Max Apartments) holds 82,500 sf, close to that simple multiplication.
Quality Housing height limit in R5 on a wide street: 45 ft. From the district’s rule set.
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.
| Scheme | Type | Floor area | FAR | Homes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Commercial Overlay | Mixed use with homes | 110,000 | 2.00 | 72 |
| Residential + Community Facility | Mixed use with homes | 107,342 | 1.95 | 86 |
| Community Facility | Community facility | 106,700 | 1.94 | None |
| Max Apartments | Housing | 82,500 | 1.50 | 121 |
| Max Residential (Standard Housing) (Parking Waiver: 10 units) | Housing | 82,500 | 1.50 | 10 |
| Walk-Up (3 Stories, No Elevator) | Housing | 81,323 | 1.48 | 98 |
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.
As-of-right only: what the Zoning Resolution allows without a variance, special permit or rezoning. Computed by RunEnvelope’s zoning engine on October 24, 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.
Why this lot has a page: we publish pages only for lots that clear a set of data quality and headroom tests.
The closest published lots in Brooklyn, same zoning district first. All Brooklyn lots.