Calculating FAR

When looking at top floor apartments I am trying to calculate if a building has any left over square footage to add a penthouse (if permitted by the city, etc). Does anyone know how I can go about finding this? I asked one realtor who said basically that wasn’t her job and didn’t reply when I asked if I could contact the seller. Page Burkholder burkhop@verizon.net

burkhop

in Brownstoner 14 years ago

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brooklynexpediter | 14 years ago

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You will need the exisiting zoning plans and see what they filed for as still allowed. If there was an attic included that was exempted be aware that regulations have been changed recently so it may be a no go!

AnArchitect | 14 years ago

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FAR is certainly one of many factors. There are other considerations which will inform if and how to add the penthouse: height and setback restrictions, landmark district, structural conditions of existing building, water pressure coming in off the street, chimneys, neighboring conditions, etc. But for an initial ballpark you can take a glance at the NYC Zoning Resolution, identify your district, and take a whack at it: http://www.nyc.gov/html/dcp/html/zone/zonetext.shtml. Best luck, An Architect www.agenciegroup.com

talock | 14 years ago

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You CAN do it yourself as the info required is public record, but an architect could do it much quicker as it takes a good knowledge of the code to get the specifics of what counts as “floor area” and what doesn’t. it’s not as cut and dry as the perimeter of the building, and the minor deductions can often make or break a project like this.

jockdeboeraia | 14 years ago

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It gets complicated, you need an archtitect. You can do a ballpark by looking at what the city says is the s.f. of the building vs. what the zoining allows. There are areas that are allowed not to be counted towards the FAR which might make the difference if it is close.