149-56 20th Rd, Whitestone, NY 11357

Low-Density Non-Contextual Residence District

Characteristic of many of the city's older neighborhoods, R3A contextual districts feature modest single- and two-family detached residences on zoning lots as narrow as 25 ft in width. Parts of College Point and Whitestone in Queens, City Island in the Bronx and Port Richmond in Staten Island are typical R3A neighborhoods. The amount of required open space on residential lots in R3A districts is governed by yard requirements. New detached homes must have two side yards totaling at least 8 ft, but there is no minimum width requirement for either one. R3A districts also permit zero lot line buildings which are set along a side lot line and have 1 side yard at least 8 ft wide. The front yard of a new home must be at least 10 ft deep and, to promote a unified streetscape, it must be as deep as an adjacent front yard but need not exceed a depth of 20 ft. The maximum floor area ratio (FAR) of 0.5 may be increased up to 20 percent by an attic allowance for the inclusion of space beneath a pitched roof. The perimeter wall may rise to 21 ft before sloping or being set back to a maximum building height of 35 ft. Parking is in the side or rear yard but an in-house garage is allowed if the lot is 35 ft or wider, provided the driveway is at least 18 ft deep. One off-street parking space is required for each dwelling unit.