C3A Zoning District — New York City
C3A is a contextual, low-density Waterfront Recreation District (NYC Zoning Resolution § 11-122) in New York City.
C3A is a contextual, low-density Waterfront Recreation District (NYC Zoning Resolution § 11-122) in New York City. It allows commercial uses, and generally also housing under the rules of a residential-equivalent district. As of right, the maximum residential FAR is 0.75 and the maximum commercial FAR is 0.5. 934 tax lots citywide carry C3A as their primary zoning designation.
Flood exposure defines this designation's records more than any other figure available: 88% of the roughly 930 tax lots mapped citywide sit inside the federal flood hazard map, the highest recorded share among the designations profiled here, alongside 29% recorded as vacant land. No reliable year-built or building-height data exists for these lots. One-family homes lead the recorded classes at 38%, and 62% of lots are residential, holding 1,425 recorded homes.
What actually stands in this district
Water is the dominant fact in this designation's file. Across roughly 930 tax lots mapped citywide, 88% sit inside the federal flood hazard map — the highest recorded flood share among the designations profiled here — and 29% of lots are recorded as vacant land. Neither year-built nor building-height data exists for this designation; both families are absent from the records, so no claim about age or floors is possible, and that gap should be read as a limitation of the data rather than a description of the buildings themselves. Between the flood share and the missing age data, this is one of the thinner recorded files in the profile, at least outside its flood and land-use figures.
Land use leans heavily toward one- and two-family buildings, 58% of recorded lots, with 29% vacant and a further 4% falling under another recorded land-use category. Building classes track closely: one-family homes lead at 38%, vacant-land classifications at 29%, and two-family homes at 19%. The vacant-land share here, at nearly three in ten lots, is among the largest recorded of any designation on these pages, alongside its flood exposure, and the two figures together describe ground that is exposed and only partly built out.
Residential lots make up 62% of the total, and the records count 1,425 homes across this designation's roughly 930 lots. Parcels run to a median of 3,853 square feet, with a 90th percentile of 19,425 square feet — larger, on the whole, than the typical lot in several other designations profiled alongside it, leaving more room per parcel even where the land itself is not built out. That extra room per lot is worth noting given how much of the designation's acreage the vacant-land and flood figures already describe as unsettled.
Development headroom is broad: 82% of lots carry recorded floor area below their allowance, though the median residual is a modest 0.5 FAR. The 88% flood share describes the federal regulatory map as it stands today, not a record of what has flooded or will — a distinction worth holding onto given how much of this designation's remaining data is absent. The rules tables above carry the governing FAR for any specific lot, and each lot's own page carries what else is on record, including whatever age or height detail may exist even where the designation-wide totals are null.
Bulk rules for C3A
| Context | Residential FAR | Commercial FAR | Community facility FAR | Heights | Citation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| As of rightCORRECTED 2026-06-10: § 34-03 (Last Amended 12/5/2024, HTML-verified) explicitly overrides the § 34-112 C3→R3-2 mapping for C3A — 'In C3A Districts, the bulk regulations of this Chapter shall not apply. In lieu thereof, the bulk regulations for R3A Districts in Article II, Chapter 3 ... shall apply.' Residential bulk therefore mirrors the certified R3A as_of_right row (FAR 0.75; front yard 10 ft; side yards 5 ft / 10 ft total; rear 20 ft; perimeter wall 25 ft / max 35 ft per § 23-421; density 680; no fixed lot-coverage pct — per § 23-361(a) R3A coverage is what remains after required yards). max_commercial_far = 0.5 per § 33-122 (node 17723) via § 11-25 (base C3) — § 34-03 voids only Article III Chapter 4 (residential bulk), not Chapter 3. max_community_facility_far = 1.0 per § 33-123 (= R3A § 24-111 CF; both sources agree). | 0.75 | 0.5 | 1 | Base 25 ft · Max 35 ft | NYC Zoning Resolution § 34-03 (C3A→R3A); § 33-122 (comm FAR); § 33-123 (CF FAR); § 23-21, § 23-421 |
| Qualifying residential siteCORRECTED 2026-06-10: § 34-03 (Last Amended 12/5/2024, HTML-verified) explicitly overrides the § 34-112 C3→R3-2 mapping for C3A — residential bulk mirrors the certified R3A qualifying_residential_site row (FAR 1.0 per § 23-21; front yard 10 ft; no side yards per § 23-333; rear 20 ft; base/max 35 ft per § 23-424; density 680; no fixed lot-coverage pct per § 23-361(a)). max_commercial_far = 0.5 per § 33-122 (node 17723) via § 11-25 (base C3) — § 34-03 voids only Article III Chapter 4 (residential bulk), not Chapter 3. max_community_facility_far = 1.0 per § 33-123 (= R3A § 24-111 CF; both sources agree). | 1 | 0.5 | 1 | Base 35 ft · Max 35 ft | NYC Zoning Resolution § 34-03 (C3A→R3A); § 33-122 (comm FAR); § 33-123 (CF FAR); § 23-21, § 23-424 |
Values from the NYC Zoning Resolution, verified 2026-06-12; site-specific overlays, special districts, and waterfront rules can modify them — run a full lookup for a specific lot.
About commercial districts
Commercial districts allow retail, office, and service uses, and most also allow housing under the rules of a residential-equivalent district. Commercial bulk is governed by § 33- of the NYC Zoning Resolution.
Contextual districts pair their floor-area ceilings with prescribed base and maximum building heights so new buildings mirror existing neighborhood form; non-contextual districts govern the envelope through more general height and setback rules, such as sky exposure planes. Commercial districts also allow residences under the rules of a residential-equivalent district, while manufacturing districts generally exclude new residences. Overlays and special purpose districts can modify any of this on a specific lot.
Example lots zoned C3A
- 1110 Stadium Avenue — 48,250 sq ft lot, 2.84 built FAR, built 1963
- 5 Harbour Court — 174,977 sq ft lot, 0.65 built FAR, built 1989
- 3255 Randall Avenue — 26,600 sq ft lot, 2.1 built FAR, built 1965
- 2716 Schurz Avenue — 96,250 sq ft lot, 0.63 built FAR, built 1986
- 1414 Outlook Avenue — 365,904 sq ft lot, 0.2 built FAR, built 2002
- Glennon Place — 145,950 sq ft lot, 0 built FAR
- 1 Angelas Place — 34,860 sq ft lot, 1.73 built FAR, built 2004
- Shore Drive — 2,160,568 sq ft lot, 0 built FAR
- 8c Edgewater Park — 889,400 sq ft lot, 0.06 built FAR, built 1925
- 1490 Outlook Avenue — 246,550 sq ft lot, 0.16 built FAR, built 2006
- 38 Patricia Lane — 91,506 sq ft lot, 0.5 built FAR, built 2002
- 600 Clarence Avenue — 317,116 sq ft lot, 0.11 built FAR, built 2004
C3A — quick questions
- What is the maximum residential FAR in C3A?
- 0.75, as of right, per NYC Zoning Resolution § 34-03 (C3A→R3A); § 33-122 (comm FAR); § 33-123 (CF FAR); § 23-21, § 23-421. Site-specific overlays, special districts, and waterfront rules can modify it — run a full lookup for a specific lot.
- What is the maximum commercial FAR in C3A?
- 0.5, as of right, per NYC Zoning Resolution § 34-03 (C3A→R3A); § 33-122 (comm FAR); § 33-123 (CF FAR); § 23-21, § 23-421. Site-specific overlays, special districts, and waterfront rules can modify it — run a full lookup for a specific lot.
- Is C3A a contextual district?
- Yes. C3A is a contextual district — its bulk rules pair floor-area ceilings with prescribed base and maximum building heights intended to mirror existing neighborhood form.
- What share of these lots sits in a flood zone?
- 88% of the roughly 930 tax lots mapped citywide sit inside the federal Special Flood Hazard Area — the highest recorded share among the designations profiled here.
- How much vacant land does this designation carry on record?
- 29% of lots are recorded as vacant land, alongside 58% in one- and two-family use.
- Is there age or building-height data available for this designation?
- No — both year-built and building-height data are absent from the records here, a data-coverage gap rather than a claim about the buildings themselves.
- How many homes are recorded under this designation?
- 1,425, across roughly 930 tax lots citywide, with 62% of lots recorded as residential.
- Is there recorded floor-area headroom on these lots?
- Broadly, yes: 82% of lots carry recorded floor area below their allowance, though the median residual is a modest 0.5 FAR.
Keep learning
What do the C3A rules mean for a specific lot?
PearlAudit resolves the governing zoning for any NYC tax lot — district, overlays, special districts — and cites the Zoning Resolution section behind every rule claim.
District data: NYC municipal records (Department of City Planning) and the NYC Zoning Resolution. See our sources and methodology. Parcel data as of 2026-07-11.