SMALL LOT CONVERSION

HEY EVERYONE, WAS WONDERING IF ANY ONE CAN PROVIDE GUIDANCE ON ADDING UNITS TO A SMALL LOT-UNDER 1700 SQ FEET . MY UNDERSTANDING IS THAT ZONING REGULATION 23-32 APPLIES BUT I AM NOT CERTAIN. I HAVE TWO SEPARATE PROJECTS 1)LOOKING TO ADD 2 ADDITIONAL UNITS ON A 3 FAMILY-SQ FOOTAGE IS 1600\. 2)LOOKING TO CONVERT A ONE FAMILY INTO A TWO FAMILY ON 1200 SQ FOOT. Has anyone done any of the above 2? either for themselves or in a professional capacity-if yes, please let me know what you did. I AM SPECIFICALLY ASKING WHETHER ZONING WOULD ALLOW THIS. I UNDERSTAND THAT THERE ARE MANY OTHER CONSIDERATIONS . THANK YOU IN ADVANCE.

jakesprague

in About Brooklyn 10 years ago

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dazednconfused2 | 10 years ago

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Right. You cannot increase the amount of units in the three family 1600 sq ft lot. You may at some point be called upon to prove that the house has been a three family since prior to the zoning came into effect in 1961 because the three family use is non-compliant. Chances are this will not come up unless you file to do any work on the place. And yes again, you are correct in that even if you can get three families on the other lot and comply with density regulations, the sub-standard lot size means you’re still limited to one or two families. Also, in converting the one family to two, you may very well run into sprinkler requirements. If you’re on a street that is less than 38 feet curb-to-curb, converting a one family to two will require sprinklers in almost all cases. The exceptions are: a. the alteration involves converting a basement or cellar space to a separate dwelling unit, and the new basement or cellar dwelling unit is protected throughout by a sprinkler system; or b. the alteration does not involve converting a basement or cellar space to a separate dwelling unit and at least two lawful accessory off-street parking spaces are provided on the premises.

jakesprague | 10 years ago

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I realized I should have divided by 680 which would yield 3.70, but seems that I am still limited to two units being an under sized lot.

jakesprague | 10 years ago

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Thank you for your reply – your response Jim was helpful and appreciated. As for the the three family-it seems that I am stuck with the three on the 1600 sq foot lot. As for the two family-I did the math and since my lot is 1260sq feet and I am on a narrow street (and not within 100 feet) I multiplied it by 2.2 (R6 zoning) and came up with 2520\. I then divided it by 600 and came up with 4.62\. Does that mean I am allowed up to 4 separate units on the property? or am I now limited to a two family because of 23-33? Thank you in advance.

dazednconfused2 | 10 years ago

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Read the next section 23-33\. It states that a lot smaller that required by 23-32 may be used for a one or two family. You cannot do a three family here. As for the two family on a 1200 sq ft lot, look at 23-22 – maximum number of dwelling units. Find your zone and divide the floor area of the BUILDING (not the lot) by the corresponding dwelling unit factor given in the table in 23-22, and that will give you the maximum numb er of dwelling units you can have. The number in the table is not the minimum size, so you can have a smaller dwelling unit as long as the total number of units complies with the table.