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New York City Special Purpose Districts
~80 neighborhood-specific overlay districts that modify the underlying zoning rules. Each SPD has its own use, bulk, and design requirements — sometimes 50+ pages of bespoke rules.
How SPDs work
When a Special Purpose District is mapped over part of NYC, its rules layer ON TOP of the underlying zoning district (R6, C4-7, M1-1, etc.). Both rule sets apply simultaneously — but the SPD typically MODIFIES the base rules: relaxes some, tightens others, adds new requirements.
SPDs are created via ULURP rezonings, usually in response to neighborhood-specific needs: protecting theater uses in Times Square, encouraging conversion in Hudson Square, integrating with park master plans in Hudson Yards, preserving carnival/amusement character in Coney.