Special Long Island City Mixed Use District: Key Zoning Rules
What is the Special Long Island City Mixed Use District?
It is a special purpose district covering Long Island City's mixed residential, commercial and industrial core, split into six subdistricts: Hunters Point, Queens Plaza West, Northern Hunters Point Waterfront, Court Square, Queens Plaza and Dutch Kills (ZR 117-04). Each changes the underlying rules; for example Queens Plaza allows 12.0, 8.0 or 5.0 FAR by area, and large Court Square sites with subway improvements can reach 15.0 (ZR 117-522, 117-421). Check any Long Island City address free on Zohgo.
Long Island City's skyline is shaped by one chapter of the Zoning Resolution, and its rules change block by block depending on the subdistrict.
What it is
The Special Long Island City Mixed Use District covers the mixed residential, commercial and industrial core of Long Island City, Queens. Its purposes include supporting the growth of mixed neighborhoods "where adequate environmental standards are assured", encouraging moderate to high density commercial uses in a compact transit-oriented area, and promoting the opportunity for people to work near where they live (ZR 117-00). The chapter controls where it conflicts with other rules, except that flood zone and mass transit station rules in Article VI control on the sites they cover (ZR 117-02).
Where an M1 district is paired with a residence district inside this district, the use, bulk and parking rules of the citywide Special Mixed Use District (Article XII, Chapter 3) apply, as modified here (ZR 117-06).
The six subdistricts
| Subdistrict | Sections | Headline rules |
|---|---|---|
| Hunters Point | 117-10 | Food and beverage retailers in Use Group VI allowed without a size limit in M1-4/R6A, M1-4/R6B, M1-4/R7A, M1-5/R7X and M1-5/R8A; street wall location rules of ZR 23-431(a) (ZR 117-12, 117-13) |
| Queens Plaza West | 117-20 | Use Group VI retail without size limits in M1 districts; Tier B and C streetscape frontages; FAR table for M1-6/R9 and M1-6/R10 (ZR 117-211, 117-212, 117-221) |
| Northern Hunters Point Waterfront | 117-30 | Its own subarea, waterfront access and visual corridor maps (Appendix C) (ZR 117-03) |
| Court Square | 117-40 | C5-3 rules and up to 15.0 FAR for large sites that provide subway improvements; otherwise M1-4/R6B bulk (ZR 117-42, 117-421) |
| Queens Plaza | 117-50 | FAR set by area: 12.0, 8.0 or 5.0 for any use; no plaza or arcade bonus (ZR 117-522, 117-523) |
| Dutch Kills | 117-60 | Higher M1-2 commercial and manufacturing FAR when paired with R5B, R5D or R6A; 1.65 residential FAR in M1/R5B (ZR 117-631) |
Source: ZR 117-04 and the sections named. Subdistrict boundaries are on Map 1 in Appendix A of the chapter.
Floor area numbers you can use
| Where | Residential (standard) | Residential (qualifying affordable or senior) | Community facility | Commercial or manufacturing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Queens Plaza West, M1-6/R9 | 8.0 | 9.6 | 10.0 | 15.0 |
| Queens Plaza West, M1-6/R10 | 10.0 | 12.0 | 12.0 | 12.0 |
| Queens Plaza, Areas A-1, A-2 | 12.0 combined cap, any use | 12.0 | within the 12.0 cap | within the 12.0 cap |
| Queens Plaza, Area B | 8.0 combined cap, any use | 9.6 | within the 8.0 cap | within the 8.0 cap |
| Queens Plaza, Area C | 5.0 combined cap, any use | 6.0 | within the 5.0 cap | within the 5.0 cap |
Sources: ZR 117-221 (Queens Plaza West, which allows increases with a public plaza under ZR 117-223) and ZR 117-522 (Queens Plaza, where the FAR applies to commercial, community facility, manufacturing or residential uses, separately or in combination). In Queens Plaza, plaza and arcade bonuses do not apply; transit station bonuses under ZR 66-51 can (ZR 117-523).
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Check any NYC address free on ZohgoCourt Square: the 15.0 FAR path
- Zoning lots of at least 10,000 sq ft with buildings containing at least 70,000 sq ft of floor area follow the underlying C5-3 rules as modified by the subdistrict. All other zoning lots use C5-3 use rules with M1-4/R6B bulk (ZR 117-42).
- Developments that meet ZR 117-44 and provide the mandatory subway improvements may reach 15.0 FAR; lots that do not meet those standards are limited to the M1-4/R6B FAR for the use (ZR 117-421).
- Height follows C5-3, except an 85 ft cap in the area bounded by 23rd Street, 44th Road, a line 60 ft east of 23rd Street and 45th Avenue, and street walls on Blocks 1 and 3 must rise at least 60 ft and no more than 85 ft before setback (ZR 117-421).
Dutch Kills: industrial floor area bonus
- In M1-2 districts paired with R5B or R5D, the FAR rises to 3.0, and paired with R6A to 4.0, if the extra floor area is used for referenced commercial and manufacturing uses (ZR 117-631). The citywide M1-2 FAR is 2.00 (ZR 43-12).
- In M1 districts paired with R5B, residential FAR is 1.65, and the qualifying residential site rules do not apply (ZR 117-631).
- Accessory parking in any story no more than 33 ft above curb level is excluded from floor area, unless it is in a public parking garage (ZR 117-631).
Rules across the whole district
- Mixed buildings: dwelling units go above the highest story with commercial or manufacturing use, unless there is no access between the uses on residential floors and the ZR 32-423 environmental rules are met (ZR 117-02).
- Rebuilding: a building that existed on October 25, 1995 in the Hunters Point or Court Square Subdistricts may be rebuilt after damage to its prior bulk or to the bulk this chapter allows, whichever is greater (ZR 117-02).
- Parking: follows Article I, Chapter 6, the Long Island City area parking rules, as modified by ZR 117-26 and 117-54 (ZR 117-02).
- Affordable housing: MIH areas in the district are shown in Appendix F (ZR 117-05).
A worked example
- Queens Plaza, Area B, 20,000 sq ft lot: 20,000 x 8.0 = 160,000 sq ft of floor area for any mix of uses; with qualifying affordable or senior housing, residential can reach 20,000 x 9.6 = 192,000 sq ft (ZR 117-522).
- Court Square, 12,000 sq ft lot meeting ZR 117-44 with subway improvements: 12,000 x 15.0 = 180,000 sq ft (ZR 117-421).
- Dutch Kills, M1-2/R6A, 5,000 sq ft lot: commercial or manufacturing floor area can reach 5,000 x 4.0 = 20,000 sq ft for referenced uses, against 5,000 x 2.00 = 10,000 sq ft under the citywide M1-2 rule (ZR 117-631, 43-12).
Long Island City zoning FAQ
How many subdistricts are in the Special Long Island City Mixed Use District?
Six: Court Square, Dutch Kills, Hunters Point, Northern Hunters Point Waterfront, Queens Plaza and Queens Plaza West (ZR 117-04).
What is the maximum FAR in Queens Plaza?
12.0 in Areas A-1 and A-2, 8.0 in Area B and 5.0 in Area C, for any use or combination; qualifying affordable or senior housing can reach 9.6 in Area B and 6.0 in Area C (ZR 117-522).
How do you get 15.0 FAR at Court Square?
The zoning lot must be at least 10,000 sq ft with at least 70,000 sq ft of floor area, meet the standards of ZR 117-44 and provide the mandatory subway improvements; otherwise M1-4/R6B bulk limits apply (ZR 117-42, 117-421).
Do MX rules apply in Long Island City?
Yes. Where M1 districts are paired with residence districts in the LIC district, the Special Mixed Use District rules of Article XII, Chapter 3 apply, except where Article XI, Chapter 7 modifies them (ZR 117-06).
What parking rules apply in Long Island City?
Article I, Chapter 6 (Comprehensive Off-street Parking Regulations in the Long Island City Area), as modified by ZR 117-26 and 117-54 (ZR 117-02).
Related pages
Sources
Every number on this page comes from the sources below, read 2026-10-26.
- NYC Zoning Resolution 117-00: General purposes: https://zr.planning.nyc.gov/article-xi/chapter-7/117-00
- ZR 117-02: General provisions: https://zr.planning.nyc.gov/article-xi/chapter-7/117-02
- ZR 117-03: District plan and maps: https://zr.planning.nyc.gov/article-xi/chapter-7/117-03
- ZR 117-04: Subdistricts: https://zr.planning.nyc.gov/article-xi/chapter-7/117-04
- ZR 117-05: Mandatory Inclusionary Housing: https://zr.planning.nyc.gov/article-xi/chapter-7/117-05
- ZR 117-06: Applicability of Article XII, Chapter 3: https://zr.planning.nyc.gov/article-xi/chapter-7/117-06
- ZR 117-12: Hunters Point Use Group VI: https://zr.planning.nyc.gov/article-xi/chapter-7/117-12
- ZR 117-13: Hunters Point street walls: https://zr.planning.nyc.gov/article-xi/chapter-7/117-13
- ZR 117-211: Queens Plaza West retail: https://zr.planning.nyc.gov/article-xi/chapter-7/117-211
- ZR 117-212: Queens Plaza West streetscape: https://zr.planning.nyc.gov/article-xi/chapter-7/117-212
- ZR 117-221: Queens Plaza West FAR: https://zr.planning.nyc.gov/article-xi/chapter-7/117-221
- ZR 117-42: Court Square bulk and use: https://zr.planning.nyc.gov/article-xi/chapter-7/117-42
- ZR 117-421: Court Square special bulk: https://zr.planning.nyc.gov/article-xi/chapter-7/117-421
- ZR 117-522: Queens Plaza FAR: https://zr.planning.nyc.gov/article-xi/chapter-7/117-522
- ZR 117-523: Queens Plaza bonuses: https://zr.planning.nyc.gov/article-xi/chapter-7/117-523
- ZR 117-631: Dutch Kills FAR modifications: https://zr.planning.nyc.gov/article-xi/chapter-7/117-631
- ZR 43-12: Manufacturing district FAR: https://zr.planning.nyc.gov/article-iv/chapter-3/43-12