New York Eliminates Some Parking Requirements in 'Transit Zones'

In the newest release from the city, a map shows that the plan will go forward in 90 percent of the area originally proposed for the new designation. The zone includes primarily areas where new multi-family housing is allowed within a half-mile of a subway station.

Parking requirements outside the transit zone will be unaffected, as will market-rate housing anywhere in the city.

Still, Streetsblog Editor-in-Chief Ben Fried says it's the most important parking requirement change he's seen in New York City in almost ten years, paving the way for future plans to go further.

The new rules also allow existing parking to be removed from subsidized housing, if new below-market-rate housing is built on the site.

The transit zone was proposed in September as part of a major update to the city's zoning code. Outlined in February 2015 and approved last month, the Zoning for Quality and Affordability plan also addresses height requirements and improvements to building exteriors.