Basement legality question

Most of the PLG/Lefferts Manor blocks between Bedford and Rogers Avenue have houses like these mentioned by jimhillra at their eastern end. AFAIK the basements did not originally have living space but, I think, they can be legally renovated for such a use (absent, of course, a separate apartment, which is banned by the restrictive deed covenant and the R2 zoning).

BobMarvin

in General Discussion 8 years and 10 months ago

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jimhillra | 8 years and 10 months ago

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I can tell you that we had a 2 story plus basement, no cellar in Prospect Lefferts Gardens. It was a one family, but the lowest level was definitely a basement. It had a living room and 3 piece bathroom, as well as other rooms that would violate the provisions for using a cellar that way. We did the height calculations relative to the curb, filed it as a basement, and the DOB accepted it as such. If the owner had wanted to, we could have separated the basement as a dwelling unit, and the DOB would have accepted that because it was a basement, putting aside of course the local one-family restrictions of PLG.