Skip to main content

529 Empire Boulevard zoning and development potential

529 Empire Boulevard, Brooklyn 11225 is a 19,700 square foot lot zoned R7A. RunEnvelope’s engine finds an as-of-right scheme with homes of 98,697 sf (UAP (City of Yes)), against 36,000 sf built on the lot today.

The lot

BBL
3-01311-0066
Block / lot
1311 / 66
Community district
Brooklyn Community District 9
Zoning
R7A
Lot area
19,700 sf
Frontage x depth
160 ft x 113 ft
Lot type
Inside
Current use
Mixed residential and commercial
Built today
36,000 sf, 2 floors
Year built
1935
Built FAR
1.83

Permitted floor area against what is built

Built on the lot today36,000 sf
Largest scheme with homes: UAP (City of Yes)98,697 sf

That leaves 62,697 sf more floor area than stands here now, if the existing building were replaced. The largest scheme with homes and no affordability obligation holds 78,800 sf (Max Apartments).

City Planning’s PLUTO file lists a residential FAR of 4.00 for this lot, which at 19,700 sf of land is 78,800 sf. The engine’s largest residential-only scheme without an affordability obligation (Max Apartments) holds 78,800 sf, close to that simple multiplication.

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

  • Wide street frontage
  • Opportunity Zone tract
  • FRESH food store zone
  • E-designation on the lot
  • 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 housing98,6975.01122
AIRS Senior Housing (100% Affordable)Income-restricted housing98,6975.01122
Max ApartmentsHousing78,8004.00116
Community FacilityCommunity facility78,8004.00None
Residential + Community FacilityMixed use with homes78,7984.0078
Commercial OverlayMixed use with homes78,7954.0074

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 529 Empire Boulevard.

Run the full study