C6-2M Zoning District — New York City
C6-2M is a contextual, high-density General Central Commercial District (NYC Zoning Resolution § 11-122) in New York City.
C6-2M is a contextual, high-density General Central Commercial 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. Under the as of right — narrow street rules, the maximum residential FAR is 6.02 and the maximum commercial FAR is 6. 61 tax lots citywide carry C6-2M as their primary zoning designation.
This designation is mapped across just 61 tax lots — a small footprint on the citywide zoning map — and its lot fabric is unusually uneven: a median size of 2,582 square feet against a 90th percentile of 20,375. The stock is prewar-heavy at 81%, elevator and walk-up apartment buildings lead the recorded classes, and 38% of buildings rise above 6 floors.
What actually stands in this district
Only 61 tax lots carry this designation on record, one of the smaller footprints on the citywide zoning map. What stands on those lots, though, is not uniform: lot size ranges from a median of 2,582 square feet up to a 90th percentile of 20,375, a wider spread than the small lot count might suggest, mixing modest parcels with a handful of considerably larger ones. That unevenness is worth noting on a designation this small, where a few oversized lots can shape the recorded range without changing the typical parcel much at all.
The recorded age of the stock is prewar: 81% of buildings predate 1940, with a median construction year of 1920. The 1945-to-1975 boom added 8% of the stock, and construction since 2000 accounts for 7% — modest figures on both sides of a stock whose buildings mostly arrived before the war. None of the three tracked eras comes close to matching the prewar share, which dominates the recorded construction timeline on these lots.
Elevator apartment buildings lead the recorded building classes at 33%, walk-up apartment buildings follow at 27%, and office buildings add 13%. By land use, multi-family elevator buildings and multi-family walk-ups together cover more of the mix — 30% and 27% respectively — with mixed residential-and-commercial use at 17%. Residential use overall reaches 77% of lots, and the records count 2,349 homes across the designation, a modest total consistent with a lot count this small.
Buildings run to a median of 5 stories, with 38% recorded above 6 floors — a taller share than the lot count alone would imply. On the development ledger, 66% of lots record floor area below their allowance, with a median residual of 1.7 FAR. A recorded 3% of lots sit inside a designated historic district, while 0% fall inside the mapped federal flood zone. The rules tables above carry the governing FAR and height figures with their citations; each lot's own recorded specifics sit on its individual page.
Every stat family recorded for this designation reports fully, with none nulled out for missing coverage. That completeness is useful on a designation this small — with only 61 lots on record, the uneven lot-size spread and the 38% share of buildings above 6 floors both come from a full accounting rather than a handful of outliers standing in for the whole. Each lot's own recorded size, class, and floor-area detail is held at the individual parcel level rather than folded into one figure.
Bulk rules for C6-2M
| Context | Residential FAR | Commercial FAR | Community facility FAR | Citation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| As of right — narrow streetC6-2M — General Central Commercial 'M' conversion district (Flatiron/Garment area; counterpart of M1-5M/M1-6M, which already carry § 11-25 rows). Established by § 11-12 (live HTML 2026-06-11); the ZR names C6-2M only in § 11-12 and the caretaker clause (full-ZR sweep 2026-06-11) — no separate bulk provisions, so per § 11-25 C6-2's rows govern (§ 33-122 commercial FAR 6.00; § 34-112 → R8). The M-suffix governs residential-conversion behavior, not base bulk. | 6.02 | 6 | 6.5 | NYC Zoning Resolution § 33-122 (C6-2M bulk = C6-2 per § 11-25); § 33-123; § 33-25; § 33-26; § 33-43; § 33-432; § 34-112; § 11-12 |
| As of right — wide streetC6-2M wide-street context — see the narrow-street row for the full § 11-25 inheritance basis. | 7.2 | 6 | 6.5 | NYC Zoning Resolution § 33-122 (C6-2M bulk = C6-2 per § 11-25); § 33-123; § 33-25; § 33-26; § 33-43; § 33-432; § 34-112; § 11-12 |
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 C6-2M
- 7 West 14 Street — 33,550 sq ft lot, 10.46 built FAR, built 1964
- 6 West 16 Street — 45,223 sq ft lot, 8.93 built FAR, built 1964
- 53 West 14 Street — 20,375 sq ft lot, 15.21 built FAR, built 1965
- 31 West 15 Street — 7,744 sq ft lot, 18.07 built FAR, built 2012
- 22 West 15 Street — 8,741 sq ft lot, 14.18 built FAR, built 1989
- 22 West 14 Street — 25,812 sq ft lot, 5.87 built FAR, built 1960
- 34 West 14 Street — 25,297 sq ft lot, 5.99 built FAR, built 1930
- 568 Avenue of the Amer — 11,875 sq ft lot, 10.94 built FAR, built 1955
- 17 West 14 Street — 20,425 sq ft lot, 2 built FAR, built 1929
- 43 West 16 Street — 5,980 sq ft lot, 10.71 built FAR, built 1911
- 50 West 15 Street — 10,325 sq ft lot, 5.73 built FAR, built 2008
- 58 West 15 Street — 3,194 sq ft lot, 9.86 built FAR, built 1920
C6-2M — quick questions
- What is the maximum residential FAR in C6-2M?
- 6.02, as of right — narrow street, per NYC Zoning Resolution § 33-122 (C6-2M bulk = C6-2 per § 11-25); § 33-123; § 33-25; § 33-26; § 33-43; § 33-432; § 34-112; § 11-12. 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 C6-2M?
- 6, as of right — narrow street, per NYC Zoning Resolution § 33-122 (C6-2M bulk = C6-2 per § 11-25); § 33-123; § 33-25; § 33-26; § 33-43; § 33-432; § 34-112; § 11-12. Site-specific overlays, special districts, and waterfront rules can modify it — run a full lookup for a specific lot.
- Is C6-2M a contextual district?
- Yes. C6-2M is a contextual district — its bulk rules pair floor-area ceilings with prescribed base and maximum building heights intended to mirror existing neighborhood form.
- Is this one of the smaller zoning designations citywide?
- Yes — this designation is mapped across just 61 tax lots on record.
- How old are the buildings on these lots?
- Mostly prewar: 81% predate 1940, with a median construction year of 1920, 8% from the 1945-to-1975 boom, and 7% since 2000.
- Are lot sizes consistent across this designation?
- No — lot size ranges from a median of 2,582 square feet up to a 90th percentile of 20,375, a wide spread for a designation this small.
- Do any of these lots fall inside a historic district or flood zone?
- 3% of lots sit inside a designated historic district, while 0% fall inside the mapped federal flood zone.
- Is there room to build recorded on lots zoned this way?
- 66% of lots record floor area below their allowance, with a median residual of 1.7 FAR.
Keep learning
What do the C6-2M 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.