NEW YORK: A plan is being promulgated to change the planning code that will enable developers to build taller apartment buildings with higher ceilings and retail on the ground floor, without having to sacrifice units.
The hope is such changes will produce modern buildings with some of the more appealing features of the elegant homes of old, such as first floors that sit slightly elevated from the street, and apartment buildings set back from the street with gracious tree-lined courtyards.
Mostly, the changes are aimed at making it easier and cheaper to build affordable housing. The new rules could encourage developers to build hundreds of new units…
