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35 West 38 Street zoning and development potential

35 West 38 Street, Manhattan 10018 is a 3,660 square foot lot zoned M1-9A/R12. RunEnvelope’s engine finds an as-of-right scheme with homes of 65,880 sf (AIRS Senior Housing (100% Affordable)), against 12,050 sf built on the lot today.

The lot

BBL
1-00840-0021
Block / lot
840 / 21
Community district
Manhattan Community District 5
Zoning
M1-9A / R12
Lot area
3,660 sf
Frontage x depth
37 ft x 99 ft
Lot type
Inside
Current use
Commercial and office
Built today
12,050 sf, 5 floors
Year built
1930
Built FAR
3.29

Permitted floor area against what is built

Built on the lot today12,050 sf
Largest scheme with homes: AIRS Senior Housing (100% Affordable)65,880 sf

That leaves 53,830 sf more floor area than stands here now, if the existing building were replaced. The largest scheme with homes and no affordability obligation holds 54,900 sf (Max Apartments).

City Planning’s PLUTO file lists a residential FAR of 15.00 for this lot, which at 3,660 sf of land is 54,900 sf. The engine’s largest residential-only scheme without an affordability obligation (Max Apartments) holds 54,900 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
  • 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 housing65,88018.0061
Max ApartmentsHousing54,90015.00115
Mixed-UseMixed use with homes54,90015.0053
Residential + Community FacilityMixed use with homes54,90015.0049
Community FacilityCommunity facility54,90015.00None
Shared Housing (SRO)Shared housing (rooms)54,69214.94180 rooms

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 35 West 38 Street.

Run the full study