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56 West 55 Street zoning and development potential

56 West 55 Street, Manhattan 10019 is a 5,427 square foot lot zoned C5-P. RunEnvelope’s engine finds an as-of-right scheme with homes of 65,124 sf (UAP (City of Yes)), against 25,849 sf built on the lot today.

The lot

BBL
1-01270-0064
Block / lot
1270 / 64
Community district
Manhattan Community District 5
Zoning
C5-P
Lot area
5,427 sf
Frontage x depth
54 ft x 100 ft
Lot type
Inside
Current use
Commercial and office
Built today
25,849 sf, 5 floors
Year built
1955
Built FAR
4.76

Permitted floor area against what is built

Built on the lot today25,849 sf
Largest scheme with homes: UAP (City of Yes)65,124 sf

That leaves 39,275 sf more floor area than stands here now, if the existing building were replaced. The largest scheme with homes and no affordability obligation holds 54,270 sf (Max Residential (Sky Exposure Plane)).

City Planning’s PLUTO file lists a residential FAR of 10.00 for this lot, which at 5,427 sf of land is 54,270 sf. The engine’s largest residential-only scheme without an affordability obligation (Max Residential (Sky Exposure Plane)) holds 54,270 sf, close to that simple multiplication.

  • Narrow 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 housing65,12412.0072
AIRS Senior Housing (100% Affordable)Income-restricted housing65,12412.0072
Max Residential (Sky Exposure Plane)Housing54,27010.0065
Max ApartmentsHousing52,0999.60109
Mixed-UseMixed use with homes52,0999.6050
Baseline: Standard Residences (As-of-Right)Baseline52,0999.6040

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 56 West 55 Street.

Run the full study