Chapter 1 - Statement of Legislative Intent

The City of New York
Eric Adams, Mayor
City Planning Commission
Daniel R. Garodnick, Chair

The Manufacturing Districts established in this Resolution are designed to promote and protect public health, safety, and general welfare. These general goals include, among others, the following specific purposes:

(a)        To provide sufficient space, in appropriate locations, to meet the needs of the City's expected future economy for all types of manufacturing and related activities, with due allowance for the need for a choice of sites.

(b)        To provide, as far as possible, that such space will be available for use for manufacturing and related activities, and to protect residences by separating them from manufacturing activities and by generally prohibiting the use of such space for new residential development.

(c)        To encourage manufacturing development which is free from danger of fire, explosions, toxic and noxious matter, radiation, and other hazards, and from offensive noise, vibration, smoke, dust and other particulate matter, odorous matter, heat, humidity, glare, and other objectionable influences, by permitting such development in areas where this Resolution restricts the emission of such nuisances, without regard to the industrial products and processes involved.

(d)        To protect adjacent residential and commercial areas, and to protect the labor force in other establishments engaged in less offensive types of manufacturing and related activities, by restricting those manufacturing activities which involve danger of fire, explosions, toxic and noxious matter, radiation and other hazards, or create offensive noise, vibration, smoke and other particulate matter, odorous matter, heat, humidity, glare, and other objectionable influences, to those limited areas which are appropriate therefor.

(e)        To protect manufacturing and related development against congestion, as far as is possible and appropriate in each area, by limiting the bulk of buildings in relation to the land around them and to one another, and by providing space off public streets for parking and loading facilities associated with such activities.

(f)        To protect the character of certain designated areas of historic and architectural interest, where the scale of building development is important, by limitations on the height of buildings.

(g)        To protect light manufacturing and to encourage stability and growth in appropriate mixed-use areas by permitting light manufacturing and controlled residential uses to co-exist where such uses are deemed compatible.

(h)        To promote the most desirable use of land and direction of building development in accord with a well-considered plan, to promote stability of manufacturing and related development, to strengthen the economic base of the City, to protect the character of the district and its peculiar suitability for particular uses, to conserve the value of land and buildings, and to protect the City's tax revenues.

These districts are designed for a wide range of manufacturing and related uses which can conform to a high level of performance standards. Manufacturing establishments of this type, within completely enclosed buildings, provide a buffer between Residence (or Commercial) Districts and other industrial uses which involve more objectionable influences. New residences are excluded from these districts, except for:

(a)        joint living-work quarters for artists in M1-5B Districts;

(b)        dwelling units in M1-5M and M1-6M Districts;

(c)        dwelling units in M1-1D, M1-2D, M1-3D, M1-4D and M1-5D Districts, where authorized by the City Planning Commission, both to protect residences from an undesirable environment and to ensure the reservation of adequate areas for industrial development; and

(d)        dwelling units in M1-6D Districts.

These districts are designed for manufacturing and related activities which can meet a medium level of performance standards. Enclosure of such activities is not normally required except in areas along the boundary of a Residence District. No new residences or community facilities are permitted.

These districts are designed to accommodate the essential heavy industrial uses which involve more objectionable influences and hazards, and which, therefore, cannot reasonably be expected to conform to those performance standards which are appropriate for most other types of industrial development. No new residences or community facilities are permitted.

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