Quote:
Originally Posted by Gantz
We could be doing so much more... unfortunately NIMBYs.
Smaller units, basement units, and the biggest of all, mixed use higher FAR zoning, especially near subway stations.
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The so-called "basement units" are actually cellar units by definition (more than 50% of the floor's height is below grade level), and they are risky because they tend to lack adequate egress points. Usually, their only freely-accessible exit is the entrance door. Sometimes there is an exit going into the first floor, but this "exit" not only doesn't lead directly outdoors, but is often locked or blocked off by the 1st floor tenant.
In addition, we've seen how unsafe these cellar units are when there's a nor'easter (like the one coming tonight), especially if the building is located in a known flood zone.
FAR and zoning is an arcane set of rules that requires experience to understand and interpret to create the largest building possible for a given block & lot. But generally speaking, zoning restrictions exist in areas with dense amount of high rises in order to preserve accessible sunlight that would otherwise be blocked off if the city was composed of nothing but giant rectangular monoliths. The zoning text defines all sorts of ways to define how bulky a building can be, how far the setback must be from the street, and the shape that the building takes as it rises into the sky.
Perhaps zoning restrictions can be eased closer to transit hubs to encourage more building and higher density. But generally speaking, zoning exists to preserve quality of life in a neighborhood.
With that said, I support the building of smaller apartments. Generally speaking, people enjoy privacy and would prefer the tradeoff of the privacy of their own small unit vs. having more space but dealing with roommates.