Chapter 3 - Special Limited Commercial District (LC)

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

The "Special Limited Commercial District" established in this Resolution is designed to promote and protect public health, safety, general welfare and amenity. These general goals include, among others, the following specific purposes:

(a)        to preserve, protect, and enhance the character of Historic Districts as the location of many of the city's most valued cultural assets;

(b)        to improve circulation patterns in the areas in order to avoid congestion arising from the movements of large numbers of people;

(c)        to help attract a useful cluster of shops, restaurants, cultural attractions and related activities which will complement and enhance the areas as presently existing; and

(d)        to promote the most desirable use of land in these areas and thus to conserve the value of land and buildings, and thereby protect the City's tax revenues.

Special Limited Commercial Districts may only be mapped in Commercial Districts within areas, or portions of areas, designated by the Landmarks Preservation Commission as "Historic Districts" pursuant to Chapters 8A or 63 of the New York City Charter and Chapter 8A of the New York City Administrative Code.

In harmony with the general purpose and intent of this Resolution and the general purpose of the Special Limited Commercial District and in accordance with the provisions of this Chapter, certain specified use, sign and enclosure regulations of the districts on which Special Limited Commercial Districts are superimposed are made inapplicable, and are superseded by the use, sign and enclosure regulations of the Special Limited Commercial District as set forth in this Chapter.

In addition to meeting the use, sign and enclosure regulations as set forth in this Chapter, each building shall conform to and comply with all of the applicable district regulations of this Resolution, except as otherwise specifically provided in this Chapter.

For transit-adjacent sites, as defined in Section 66-11 (Definitions), in the event of a conflict between the provisions of this Chapter and the provisions of Article VI, Chapter 6 (Special Regulations Applying Around Mass Transit Stations), the provisions of Article VI, Chapter 6 shall control.

Use Group "LC" comprises residential uses listed in Use Groups 1 and 2, and a group of specially related uses selected from Use Groups 3, 4, 5, 6, 8 and 9 to provide for the special needs, comfort, convenience, enjoyment, education and recreation of the residents of the surrounding communities and of the many visitors who are attracted to its activities.

A.        Amusements

Theaters, limited to a capacity of not more than 300 seats

B.        Community Facilities

Ambulatory diagnostic or treatment health care facilities listed in Use Group 4

Clubs, except:

(a)        clubs, the chief activity of which is a service predominantly carried on as a business;

(b)        non-commercial outdoor swimming pool clubs; or

(c)        any other non-commercial clubs with outdoor swimming pools located less than 500 feet from any lot line

Colleges or universities, including professional schools

College or school student dormitories or fraternity or sorority student houses

Community centers or settlement houses

Houses of worship, rectories or parish houses

Libraries, museums, or non-commercial art galleries

Long-term care facilities

Monasteries, convents, or novitiates used only for living purposes, provided that such use is to be part of a group of buildings accommodating house of worship activities, schools or other house of worship facilities that existed on December 15, 1961, or any applicable subsequent amendment thereto, and that such use is to be located on the same zoning lot with one or more buildings in such group of buildings or on a zoning lot which is contiguous thereto or directly across the street on which such buildings face

Non-commercial recreation centers

Non-profit hospital staff dwellings located on the same zoning lot as a non-profit or voluntary hospital and related facilities or on a separate zoning lot which is immediately contiguous thereto or would be contiguous but for its separation by a street or a street intersection

Non-profit or voluntary hospitals and related facilities, except animal hospitals

Philanthropic or non-profit institutions with or without sleeping accommodations, including long-term care facilities, provided that the number of persons employed in central office functions shall not exceed 50, and the amount of floor area used for central office purposes shall not exceed 25 percent of the total floor area or 25,000 square feet, whichever is greater

Proprietary hospitals and related facilities, except animal hospitals

Schools

Seminaries

Welfare centers

C.        Open Uses

Public parks or playgrounds or private parks

Outdoor ice skating rinks

D.        Convenience Retail or Service Establishments

Bakeries, provided that floor area used for production shall be limited to 750 square feet per establishment

Barber shops

Beauty parlors

Drug stores

Dry cleaning or clothes pressing establishments or receiving stations dealing directly with ultimate consumers, limited to 2,000 square feet of floor area per establishment, and provided that only solvents with a flash point of not less than 138.2 degrees Fahrenheit shall be used, and total aggregate dry load capacity of machines shall not exceed 60 pounds

Eating and drinking establishments, including those which provide music for which there is no cover charge and no specified showtime

Eating or drinking establishments with musical entertainment, but not dancing, with a capacity of 200 persons or less

Food stores, including supermarkets, grocery stores, meat markets, or delicatessen stores, limited to 10,000 square feet per establishment

Hardware stores

Laundry establishments, hand or automatic self-service

Package liquor stores

Post offices

Shoe or hat repair shops

Stationery stores

Tailor or dressmaking shops, custom

Variety stores, limited to 10,000 square feet of floor area per establishment

E.        Offices

Offices, business, professional or governmental

F.        Public Service Establishments

Court houses

Electric or gas utility substations, limited in each case to a site of not more than 10,000 square feet

G.        Retail or Service Establishments

Antique stores

Art galleries, commercial

Artists' supply stores

Automobile supply stores, with no installation or repair services

Banks, including drive-in banks

Bicycle sales

*Blueprinting or photostatting establishments

Book stores

*Business schools or colleges

Candy or ice cream stores

Carpet, rug, linoleum, or other floor covering stores, limited to 10,000 square feet of floor area per establishment

*Catering establishments

Cigar or tobacco stores

Clothing or clothing accessory stores, limited to 10,000 square feet of floor area per establishment

*Clothing or costume rental establishments

Dry goods or fabrics stores, limited to 10,000 square feet of floor area per establishment

Electrolysis studios

Fishing tackle or equipment, rental or sales

Florist shops

Frozen food lockers

Furniture stores, limited to 10,000 square feet of floor area per establishment

Furrier shops, custom

Gift shops

Health and fitness establishments

Interior decorating establishments, provided that floor area used for processing, servicing, or repairs shall be limited to 750 square feet per establishment

Jewelry or art metal craft shops

Leather goods or luggage stores

Loan offices

Locksmith shops

*Medical or dental laboratories for research or testing, or the custom manufacture or artificial teeth, dentures, or plates, not involving any danger of fire or explosion nor offensive noise, vibration, smoke or other particulate matter, odorous matter, heat, humidity, glare, or other objectionable effects

Medical or orthopedic appliance stores

Meeting halls

Millinery shops

Music stores

*Musical instrument repair shops

Newsstands, open or enclosed

Optician or optometrist establishments

Paint stores

Pet shops

Photographic equipment or supply stores

Photographic studios

Picture framing shops

*Plumbing, heating, or ventilating equipment showrooms, without repair facilities

Record stores

Seed or garden supply stores

Sewing machine stores, selling household machines only

Shoe stores

Sporting or athletic stores

Stamp or coin stores

*Studios: art, music, dancing or theatrical

Telegraph offices

Television, radio, phonograph, or household appliance repair shops

Television, radio, phonograph, or household appliance stores, limited to 10,000 square feet of floor area per establishment

Toy stores

*Trade, or other schools for adults, not involving any danger of fire or explosion nor of offensive noise, vibration, smoke or particulate matter, dust, odorous matter, heat, humidity, glare, or other objectionable effects

Travel bureaus

*Typewriter or other small business machine repair shops

Typewriter stores

*Umbrella repair shops

Wallpaper stores

Watch or clock stores or repair shops

H.        Transient Accommodations

Hotels, transient, where permitted pursuant to Section 32-02 (Special Provisions for Hotels)

I.        Wholesale Establishments

Hair products for headwear, wholesaling including styling

Photographic developing or printing establishments, limited to 2,500 square feet of floor area per establishment

J.        Accessory Uses

*        In Special Limited Commercial Districts, a use marked with an asterisk (*) shall not be located on the ground floor of a building unless such use is at least 50 feet from the street wall of the building in which it is located

83-04

Signs

Non-illuminated signs with total surface area not exceeding three times the street frontage of the zoning lot (in feet), but in no event more than 150 feet for interior or through lots or 150 feet on each frontage for corner lots, are permitted. Illuminated non-flashing signs with total surface area not exceeding three times the street frontage of the zoning lot (in feet), but in no event more than 50 feet for interior or through lots or 50 feet on each frontage for corner lots, are permitted. No permitted sign shall extend above curb level at a height greater than 25 feet.

For the purpose of determining the powers of the Board of Standards and Appeals in Special Limited Commercial Districts, such districts shall be considered equivalent to C1 Districts, and the powers of the Board, as set forth in Article VII, Chapter 3, shall be limited to those powers which the Board would have in C1 Districts.

For the purpose of determining the powers of the City Planning Commission in Special Limited Commercial Districts, such districts shall be considered equivalent to C1 Districts, and the powers of the Commission, as set forth in Article VII, Chapter 4, shall be limited to those powers which the Commission would have in C1 Districts.

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