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218 West 37 Street zoning and development potential

218 West 37 Street, Manhattan 10018 is a 2,722 square foot lot zoned M1-9A/R12. RunEnvelope’s engine finds an as-of-right scheme with homes of 48,996 sf (AIRS Senior Housing (100% Affordable)), against 17,726 sf built on the lot today.

The lot

BBL
1-00786-0060
Block / lot
786 / 60
Community district
Manhattan Community District 5
Zoning
M1-9A / R12
Lot area
2,722 sf
Frontage x depth
25 ft x 109 ft
Lot type
Inside
Current use
Commercial and office
Built today
17,726 sf, 7 floors
Year built
1922
Built FAR
6.51

Permitted floor area against what is built

Built on the lot today17,726 sf
Largest scheme with homes: AIRS Senior Housing (100% Affordable)48,996 sf

That leaves 31,270 sf more floor area than stands here now, if the existing building were replaced. The largest scheme with homes and no affordability obligation holds 40,830 sf (Mixed-Use).

City Planning’s PLUTO file lists a residential FAR of 15.00 for this lot, which at 2,722 sf of land is 40,830 sf. The engine’s largest residential-only scheme without an affordability obligation (Max Apartments) holds 40,829 sf, close to that simple multiplication.

Quality Housing height limit in R12 on a narrow street: 325 ft (395 ft with the affordability preference). From the district’s rule set.

  • Narrow street frontage
  • Mandatory Inclusionary Housing area
  • 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
AIRS Senior Housing (100% Affordable)Income-restricted housing48,99618.0038
Mixed-UseMixed use with homes40,83015.0035
Residential + Community FacilityMixed use with homes40,83015.0032
Max CommercialCommercial40,83015.00None
Community FacilityCommunity facility40,83015.00None
Max ApartmentsHousing40,82915.0085

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 21, 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 218 West 37 Street.

Run the full study