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550 2 Avenue zoning and development potential

550 2 Avenue, Manhattan 10016 is a 54,162 square foot lot zoned R8. RunEnvelope’s engine finds an as-of-right scheme with homes of 467,960 sf (UAP (City of Yes)), against 173,364 sf built on the lot today.

The lot

BBL
1-00936-0001
Block / lot
936 / 1
Community district
Manhattan Community District 6
Zoning
R8
Lot area
54,162 sf
Frontage x depth
430 ft x 126 ft
Lot type
Corner
Current use
Commercial and office
Built today
173,364 sf, 2 floors
Year built
1998
Built FAR
3.20

Permitted floor area against what is built

Built on the lot today173,364 sf
Largest scheme with homes: UAP (City of Yes)467,960 sf

That leaves 294,596 sf more floor area than stands here now, if the existing building were replaced. The largest scheme with homes and no affordability obligation holds 389,966 sf (Max Apartments).

City Planning’s PLUTO file lists a residential FAR of 6.02 for this lot, which at 54,162 sf of land is 326,055 sf. The engine’s largest residential-only scheme without an affordability obligation (Max Apartments) holds 389,966 sf, 19% more than that simple multiplication suggests.

Quality Housing height limit in R8 on a wide street: 135 ft (175 ft with the affordability preference). From the district’s rule set.

  • Wide street frontage

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 housing467,9608.64581
AIRS Senior Housing (100% Affordable)Income-restricted housing467,9598.64591
Max ApartmentsHousing389,9667.20818
Commercial OverlayMixed use with homes389,9657.20455
Shared Housing (SRO)Shared housing (rooms)389,7197.201,300 rooms
Sky Exposure Plane OptionHousing326,0556.02443

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 25, 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 550 2 Avenue.

Run the full study