On designated streets where street wall continuity is required (see Map 2 in Appendix A) and, between 43rd and 50th Streets, on the narrow street frontages of zoning lots with street frontage on Seventh Avenue and/or Broadway, the street wall of a building, for the minimum width and height set forth in this Section, shall be within 10 feet of the street line or within 10 feet of a permitted arcade’s supporting columns at the street line, except that on 57th Street, 42nd Street, 34th Street and Fifth Avenue, no street wall setback below a height of 85 feet is permitted. The width of the street wall subject to setback restrictions shall be at least 80 percent of the length of the front lot line of the zoning lot along the specified street, measured at the specific heights or anywhere above the specific heights indicated in the table in this Section. At those specific heights or anywhere above those specific heights, the street wall must extend continuously within 10 feet of the street line for all of its required width, except that on 57th Street, 42nd Street, 34th Street and Fifth Avenue, at a height of 85 feet or above, the street wall must extend continuously without setback for at least 75 percent of its required width and no portion of its required width shall be set back more than 10 feet from the street line; and, for zoning lots between 43rd and 50th Streets with street frontage on Seventh Avenue and/or Broadway, any portion of the required width of a street wall which lies behind a sign required under the provisions of Section 81-732 (Special Times Square signage requirements) may be set back up to 15 feet from the street line.

The minimum height of a street wall subject to the setback restrictions shall be as follows:

Developments, which are in their entirety no more than two stories in height, shall be exempt from the minimum street wall height requirements set forth in the table in this Section, except that, subsequent to the issuance of a building permit for such development, if there are additional developments on the zoning lot or if any building on the zoning lot is enlarged, the development exempt from the requirements set forth in the table in this Section, shall no longer be exempt from such requirements and its street walls shall be raised to a height complying with the table.

Existing buildings need not comply with the minimum street wall height and location provisions of this Section. Such buildings shall be included in the calculation of the required percentage of street wall width and height along a street frontage. No existing building shall be altered such that a non-compliance with the provisions of this Section is created, nor shall an existing degree of non-compliance with these provisions be increased.

STREET WALL REQUIREMENT WITH EXISTING BUILDING

(81-43)

Pedestrian circulation spaces may be provided to meet the requirements of Sections 81-45 (Pedestrian Circulation Space), 81-46 (Off-street Relocation or Renovation of a Subway Stair) or 81-48 (Off-street Improvement of Access to Rail Mass Transit Facility), subject to the setback restrictions of this Section and to the minimum width of the street wall subject to such setback restrictions. However, the City Planning Commission may waive such restrictions for a subway entrance area which is part of a subway station or a rail mass transit facility improvement for which bonus floor area is granted, in accordance with the provisions of Sections 66-51 (Additional Floor Area for Mass Transit Station Improvements) and 81-542 (Retention of floor area bonus for plazas or other public spaces), or an off-street improvement of access to a rail mass transit facility that has been certified in accordance with Section 81-48.

Except on 57th Street, 42nd Street, 34th Street and Fifth Avenue, below the minimum height of a street wall subject to the setback restriction, recesses (whose depth shall be measured in all cases from the street line) shall be permitted only as follows: no recesses greater than 15 feet deep shall be permitted, recesses up to 15 feet deep shall be limited in their aggregate area to no more than 30 percent of the area of the new street wall below the minimum required street wall height; in addition, recesses up to 12 feet deep shall be limited in their aggregate area to no more than 20 percent of the area of the street wall below the minimum required street wall height, and recesses up to 10 feet deep shall not be limited in their aggregate area.

On 57th Street, 42nd Street, 34th Street and Fifth Avenue, below the minimum height of a street wall subject to the setback restriction, recesses (whose depth shall be measured in all cases from the street line) shall be permitted only as follows: no recesses greater than 10 feet deep shall be permitted; recesses up to 10 feet deep shall be limited in their aggregate area to no more than 30 percent of the area of the street wall below the minimum required street wall height; in addition, recesses up to two feet deep shall be limited in their aggregate area to no more than 20 percent of the area of the street wall below the minimum required street wall height and recesses up to one foot deep shall not be limited in their aggregate area.

The restrictions on recesses shall not apply to arcades, corner arcades, subway stairs relocated within the building, through block connections within the building or building entrance recess areas within the building, where such spaces are provided in accordance with the requirements and design standards of Sections 81-45 or 81-46 and provided that such spaces shall be subject to a maximum height limit of 30 feet. Any recesses in the residential portion of a building shall comply with the outer court regulations of Section 23-84.

No arcades, sidewalk widenings or public plazas shall be permitted on Fifth Avenue, 34th Street, 42nd Street or 57th Street frontages. Between 42nd and 56th Streets, no arcades or public plazas shall be permitted on Eighth Avenue. Between 43rd and 50th Streets, no arcades or public plazas shall be permitted on Seventh Avenue or Broadway and, with the exception of marquees and signs, any area between the Seventh Avenue or Broadway street line and any required street wall below the height of the first required setback, including permitted recesses, shall be open from curb level to the sky in its entirety. Any such area shall be at the same elevation as the adjoining sidewalk, directly accessible to the public at all times and free of all obstructions at ground level, including street trees. On the remaining streets designated for street wall continuity, arcades, if provided, shall be not less than 10 feet in depth and not more than 30 feet high. Arcades shall not be counted toward the recess allowances.

For zoning lots between 43rd and 50th Streets with street frontage on Seventh Avenue and/or Broadway, the minimum and maximum heights of street walls subject to the setback restrictions on all street frontages shall be in accordance with Section 81-75 (Special Street Wall and Setback Requirements).

For zoning lots located wholly or partially within the Eighth Avenue Corridor, the minimum and maximum heights of street walls subject to the setback restrictions on all street frontages shall be in accordance with Section 81-75.

On Fifth Avenue, the minimum required street wall height without setback shall be 85 feet and the maximum allowable street wall height without setback shall be 125 feet. Above the maximum street wall height, a setback of at least 10 feet shall be required, pursuant to the provisions of Section 81-83.