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497 West 129 Street zoning and development potential

497 West 129 Street, Manhattan 10027 is a 11,643 square foot lot zoned R7A. RunEnvelope’s engine finds an as-of-right scheme with homes of 58,331 sf (UAP (City of Yes)), against 11,579 sf built on the lot today.

The lot

BBL
1-01969-0005
Block / lot
1969 / 5
Community district
Manhattan Community District 9
Zoning
R7A
Lot area
11,643 sf
Frontage x depth
58 ft x 199 ft
Lot type
Through
Current use
Industrial and manufacturing
Built today
11,579 sf, 1 floor
Year built
1900
Built FAR
0.99

Permitted floor area against what is built

Built on the lot today11,579 sf
Largest scheme with homes: UAP (City of Yes)58,331 sf

That leaves 46,752 sf more floor area than stands here now, if the existing building were replaced. The largest scheme with homes and no affordability obligation holds 46,572 sf (Max Apartments).

City Planning’s PLUTO file lists a residential FAR of 4.00 for this lot, which at 11,643 sf of land is 46,572 sf. The engine’s largest residential-only scheme without an affordability obligation (Max Apartments) holds 46,572 sf, close to that simple multiplication.

Quality Housing height limit in R7A on a narrow street: 85 ft (115 ft with the affordability preference). From the district’s rule set.

  • Narrow street frontage
  • Opportunity Zone tract
  • 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
UAP (City of Yes)Income-restricted housing58,3315.0169
AIRS Senior Housing (100% Affordable)Income-restricted housing58,3315.0169
Max ApartmentsHousing46,5724.0068
Commercial OverlayMixed use with homes46,5724.0055
Residential + Community FacilityMixed use with homes46,5724.0042
Community FacilityCommunity facility46,5724.00None

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 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 497 West 129 Street.

Run the full study