R6 vs R6A vs R6B: How the Three Districts Differ

Same family, very different buildings: on one 5,000 sq ft lot, the R6 variants range from 10,000 to 15,000 sq ft of standard floor area.

Three districts, one family

R6, R6A and R6B are all medium-density general residence districts where every type of residential building is allowed, from detached houses to apartment buildings (ZR 21-14). What separates them is bulk: how much floor area you get, how tall you can go, where the street wall must sit, and whether an optional tower-in-the-park style envelope is still on the table. City of Yes for Housing Opportunity (December 5, 2024) also added two numbered variants, R6-1 and R6-2, and kept R6D, so the R6 family now has six members.

• R6 has no letter suffix. Its standard FAR and heights change with the street: lots or portions within 100 ft of a wide street get more (ZR 23-22, 23-432).
• R6A has one set of numbers regardless of street width, and the highest standard FAR of the three.
• R6B is the lowest-bulk R6 district and the only one of the three with a line-up rule tying the street wall to its neighbors (ZR 23-431).
• R6D and R6-2 share numbers, as do R6A and R6-1 (ZR 23-22, 23-432).

FAR side by side: ZR 23-22

Each district has a standard residential FAR and a higher FAR for qualifying affordable housing or qualifying senior housing (which includes UAP developments and MIH developments in MIH areas, per the ZR 12-10 definition).

Source: ZR 23-22 table and footnote 1. R7B shares the R6A row (3.00 / 3.90).

Heights side by side: ZR 23-432

All values in feet. Minimum base height applies to every building; the maximum base and maximum building height differ for standard and for qualifying affordable or senior housing.

Source: ZR 23-432 table and footnotes 1 and 2. Above the maximum base height the building must set back at least 10 ft on a wide street or 15 ft on a narrow street, reduced foot for foot if the street wall is set back, generally not below 7 ft (ZR 23-433).

Street wall: line-up vs percentage rules (ZR 23-431)

• R6B (also R7B, R8B): the street wall can be no closer to the street line than the closest, and no farther than the furthest, street wall of an existing adjacent building on the same frontage. Only neighbors within 15 ft of the street line, within 25 ft of your building and taller than 35 ft count.
• R6, R6A, R6D and the rest: at least 70% of the aggregate street wall width must be within 8 ft of the street line on a wide street, or within 10 ft on a narrow street, and rise to at least the minimum base height (or the building height, if lower).
• Large lots: on zoning lots of 40,000 sq ft or more, or a full block, only 50% must be within 15 ft of the street line.
• Articulation: up to 50% of the street wall may project or recess up to 3 ft, plus window recesses and similar articulation up to 12 inches.

What is the same in all three

• Lot coverage: 80% on interior and through lots, 100% on corner lots (ZR 23-362).
• Minimum lot size: 1,700 sq ft and 18 ft wide for most residences; 2,375 sq ft and 25 ft wide for single- or two-family detached or zero lot line buildings (ZR 23-12).
• Front yards: none required in R6 through R12 (ZR 23-322).
• Side yards: none required except for detached one- or two-family homes, which need two of at least 5 ft; any open area along a side lot line must be at least 5 ft wide (ZR 23-335).
• Rear yards: on interior lots, 30 ft for attached or semi-detached buildings on lots under 40 ft wide; 20 ft up to a height of 75 ft (30 ft above it) on lots 40 ft or wider (ZR 23-342).

What only plain R6 can do

Because it has no letter suffix, R6 keeps two options the suffixed districts do not have:

• Sky exposure plane buildings: an optional envelope where FAR comes from a height factor and open space ratio table instead of ZR 23-22. In R6 the table tops out at 2.43 FAR (height factors 13 to 15), with a front wall up to 60 ft or six stories before the sky exposure plane begins (ZR 23-731, 23-732, 23-736). It does not apply in R6-1 or R6-2.
• Eligible sites: lots with qualifying irregularities, such as an interior lot under 85 ft deep, a lot of 20,000 sq ft or more, or frontage next to transportation infrastructure, can rise to 125 ft in R6 and R6-1 or 95 ft in R6-2 (ZR 23-434).

Worked example: one 50 x 100 ft lot in each district

Take a 50 ft wide, 100 ft deep interior lot (5,000 sq ft) on a 60 ft narrow street, more than 100 ft from any wide street.

• Footprint: 80% coverage allows 4,000 sq ft. The lot is 50 ft wide, so the rear yard is 20 ft for portions up to 75 ft, leaving an 80 ft deep buildable strip, which is the same 4,000 sq ft (ZR 23-342, 23-362).
• R6A vs R6: on this narrow street the R6A lot gets 4,000 sq ft more standard floor area and 20 ft more building height. Move the same lot to within 100 ft of a wide street and the R6 numbers match R6A (3.00 FAR, 65 / 75 ft).
• Qualifying housing: in R6 and R6A the qualifying FAR is the same 3.90, but R6A allows 95 ft against 85 ft in narrow-street R6. In R6A a qualifying building over 75 ft needs a 30 ft rear yard above 75 ft (ZR 23-342).
• R6B: the street wall must also line up with qualifying neighbors, which can fix the facade line before any FAR math.

Floor area here is zoning floor area; what you can actually fit also depends on the setback above the base (15 ft on a narrow street, ZR 23-433), density limits (ZR 23-52) and special district rules.

R6 vs R6A vs R6B FAQ

Related pages

• R6 zoning
• R6A zoning
• R6B zoning
• Wide vs narrow street
• Contextual vs non-contextual districts
• Sky exposure plane
• Dwelling unit factor