(a)        Arcade

Arcades shall not be subject to the provisions of Sections 12-10 (DEFINITIONS) and 37-80 (ARCADES). In lieu thereof, the provisions of this Section shall apply.

An arcade is a continuous covered space that adjoins and extends along a front lot line, is at the same elevation as the adjoining sidewalk, is open for its entire length to the sidewalk except for columns and is accessible to the public at all times. An arcade shall be provided on the wide street frontage of a zoning lot of a development or enlargement where the zoning lot lies directly adjacent to an existing arcade on a wide street, except where an existing building without an arcade extends along a portion of the wide street front lot line of the zoning lot containing the development or enlargement. Where an arcade abuts another arcade, there shall be a clear, unobstructed passage between both arcades.

An arcade shall meet the following requirements:

(1)        Dimensions

An arcade with columns shall have a minimum clear width of 10 feet, exclusive of all columns, and a maximum width of 15 feet, inclusive of columns. No column width shall be greater than five feet. Columns shall be spaced along the street with a minimum clear width between columns of 15 feet. An arcade shall have a clear height of not less than 12 feet and not more than 30 feet.

(i)        On an interior lot or a through lot fronting on a narrow street, an arcade without columns is permitted only if:

(a)        it has a continuous, unobstructed minimum length of 100 feet or, with the exception of the width of driveways for the required loading berths located at the side lot line of the zoning lot, is unobstructed for the full length of the frontage of the development, whichever is greater; and

(b)        the entire front lot line shall be unobstructed for the same depth of the arcade, except for that portion of the front lot line occupied by an existing building.

(ii)        On an interior lot or a through lot fronting on a narrow street, an arcade with columns is permitted only if it connects directly to an existing arcade on an adjacent zoning lot, matching it in width and alignment, and has a continuous, unobstructed minimum length beyond the existing adjacent arcade of at least 100 feet or, with the exception of the width of driveways for the required loading berths located at the side lot line of the zoning lot, is unobstructed for the full length of the frontage of the development, whichever is greater.

(iii)        On a corner lot fronting on a narrow street, an arcade is permitted only if it extends for the full length of the street frontage, with the exception of a driveway for a required loading berth located at the side lot line of the zoning lot, or if the arcade provides unobstructed pedestrian flow along such entire frontage in combination with one or more of the following other spaces with which it connects at one or both ends: a corner arcade, a publicly accessible open area, an off-street rail mass transit access improvement, an intersecting sidewalk widening, an intersecting street, a relocated or renovated subway entrance, a through block connection or a through block galleria.

(iv)        On a wide street, an arcade shall be permitted, provided that:

(a)        the arcade extends along the full length of the street line between intersecting streets; or

(b)        in the case of an arcade that occupies less than the entire street frontage between intersecting streets, on a full block front zoning lot, unobstructed pedestrian flow along the entire frontage is provided on the zoning lot by the arcade in combination with one or more of the following open spaces with which the arcade connects at one or both ends: a corner circulation space, a publicly accessible open area or an intersecting sidewalk widening; or

(c)        in the case of an arcade whose zoning lot occupies less than the entire street frontage between intersecting streets, the arcade connects with an existing arcade of matching width and alignment, a publicly accessible open area on an adjacent zoning lot, so that unobstructed pedestrian flow along the entire block front is provided by the arcade in combination with such existing spaces.

(2)        Full block front arcade

When a zoning lot occupies a full block front, both ends of the arcade on that street frontage shall be open and accessible directly from the sidewalk of the intersecting street or any other qualifying pedestrian circulation space.

(3)        Permitted obstructions

Except for building columns, and qualifying exterior wall thickness pursuant to Section 33-23 (Permitted Obstructions in Required Yards or Rear Yard Equivalents), an arcade shall be free from obstructions of any kind.

(4)        Specific prohibitions

No vehicular driveways, except as permitted under paragraph (a)(1) (Dimensions) of this Section, parking spaces, passenger drop-offs, loading berths or trash storage facilities are permitted within an arcade, nor shall such facilities be permitted immediately adjacent to an arcade.

(5)        Illumination

All existing and new arcades shall maintain a minimum level of illumination of not less than five horizontal foot candles between sunset and sunrise.

(b)        Building entrance recess area

A building entrance recess area is a space that adjoins and is open to a sidewalk or sidewalk widening for its entire length and provides unobstructed access to the building's lobby entrance or to the entrance to a ground floor use.

A building entrance recess area shall meet the following requirements:

(1)        Dimensions

A building entrance recess area shall have a minimum length of 15 feet and a maximum length of 50 feet measured parallel to the street line at a building’s lobby entrance and a maximum length of 30 feet parallel to the street line at a ground floor use entrance. It shall have a maximum depth of 15 feet measured from the street line and shall have a minimum depth of 10 feet measured from the street line.

(2)        Permitted obstructions

Any portion of a building entrance recess area under an overhanging portion of the building shall have a minimum clear height of 15 feet. It shall be free of obstructions except for qualifying exterior wall thickness pursuant to Section 33-23, and building columns, between any two of which there shall be a clear space of at least 15 feet measured parallel to the street line. Between a building column and a wall of the building, there shall be a clear path at least five feet in width.

(3)        Permitted overlap

A building entrance recess area may overlap with an arcade, a corner arcade, a corner circulation space or a sidewalk widening, and may adjoin or overlap and connect directly without obstruction to another building entrance recess area except that, on any one street frontage, each lobby or ground floor use shall connect to only one building entrance recess area.

(c)        Corner arcade

A corner arcade shall not be subject to the provisions of Sections 12-10 (DEFINITIONS) and 37-80 (ARCADES). In lieu thereof, a corner arcade shall be a small covered space adjoining the intersection of two streets at the same elevation as the adjoining sidewalk or sidewalk widening and directly accessible to the public at all times.

A corner arcade shall meet the following requirements:

(1)        Dimensions

(i)        a corner arcade shall have a minimum area of 200 square feet, a minimum depth of 15 feet measured along a line bisecting the angle of intersecting street lines, and shall extend along both street lines for at least 15 feet but not more than 40 feet from the intersection of the two street lines; and

(ii)        the height of a corner arcade shall be not less than 12 feet and a clear path at least 12 feet wide shall be provided from one street line to another street line.

(2)        Permitted obstructions

Except for building columns, and qualifying exterior wall thickness pursuant to Section 33-23, a corner arcade shall be free from obstructions of any kind.

(3)        Specific prohibitions

The specific prohibitions pertaining to an arcade as described in paragraph (a)(4) of this Section shall also be applicable to a corner arcade.

(4)        Permitted overlap

A corner arcade may overlap with an arcade; however, the area of overlap may only be counted once toward the fulfillment of the required minimum area of pedestrian circulation space.

(d)        Corner circulation space

A corner circulation space is a small open space on a zoning lot, adjoining the intersection of two streets, at the same elevation as the adjoining sidewalk or sidewalk widening and directly accessible to the public at all times.

A corner circulation space shall meet the following requirements:

(1)        Dimensions

A corner circulation space shall have the same minimum dimensions as a corner arcade, as described in paragraph (c)(1) of this Section.

(2)        Permitted obstructions

A corner circulation space shall be completely open to the sky from its lowest level, except for temporary elements of weather protection, such as awnings or canopies, provided that the total area of such elements does not exceed 20 percent of the area of the corner circulation space and that such elements and any attachments thereto are at least eight feet above curb level. A corner circulation space shall be clear of all other obstructions including, without limitation, door swings, building columns, street trees, planters, vehicle storage, parking or trash storage. However, qualifying exterior wall thickness may be added pursuant to Section 33-23. No gratings, except for drainage, shall be permitted.

(3)        Building entrances

Entrances to ground level uses are permitted from a corner circulation space.

An entrance to a building lobby is permitted from a corner circulation space, provided that the entrance is at no point within 20 feet of the intersection of the two street lines that bound the corner circulation space.

(4)        Permitted overlap

A corner circulation space may overlap with a sidewalk widening.

(e)        Relocation or renovation of a subway stair

When a development or enlargement is constructed on a zoning lot containing a relocated stairway entrance or entrances to a subway, or an existing stairway entrance or entrances to a subway, and such entrance or entrances are relocated or renovated in accordance with the provisions of Section 37-40 (OFF-STREET RELOCATION OR RENOVATION OF A SUBWAY STAIR), inclusive, one and one-half times the area, measured at street level, of such entrance or entrances may count toward meeting the pedestrian circulation space requirement.

(f)        Sidewalk widening

A sidewalk widening is a continuous, paved, open area along the front lot line of a zoning lot at the same elevation as the adjoining sidewalk and directly accessible to the public at all times. A sidewalk widening shall be provided on the wide street frontage of a zoning lot of a development or enlargement where all existing buildings on the same block frontage, whether on the same or another zoning lot, provide sidewalk widenings.

A sidewalk widening shall meet the following requirements:

(1)        Dimensions

A sidewalk widening shall have a width of no less than five feet nor more than 10 feet measured perpendicular to the street line, and shall be contiguous along its entire length to a sidewalk.

A sidewalk widening shall extend along the full length of the front lot line except for the portion of the front lot line interrupted by an existing building which is located at a side lot line or, in the case of a full block frontage, located at the intersection of two streets.

A required sidewalk widening on a wide street shall connect directly to any existing adjoining sidewalk widening and shall extend the entire length of the front lot line.

The width of such a required sidewalk widening shall equal that of the existing adjoining sidewalk widening. If there is more than one such existing sidewalk widening, the width of such a required sidewalk widening shall equal that of the existing sidewalk widening that is longest.

A sidewalk widening is permitted on a wide street when not adjacent to an existing sidewalk widening only if either the sidewalk widening extends along the street line of the wide street for the full length of the block front, or the zoning lot is a corner lot and the sidewalk widening extends along the full length of the street line of the wide street to its intersection with the street line of the other street on which the zoning lot fronts.

Except for the permitted interruptions, as set forth in paragraph (f)(2) of this Section, a sidewalk widening is permitted on a narrow street only if it has a length of at least 100 feet.

(2)        Permitted interruptions

Interruptions of the continuity of a qualifying sidewalk widening shall be permitted only under the following conditions:

(i)        by an arcade that has a width equal to or greater than the width of the sidewalk widening and which is directly connected to the sidewalk widening;

(ii)        if overlapped by a corner circulation space or a building entrance recess area that permits uninterrupted pedestrian flow;

(iii)        if overlapped by a public plaza, provided that the overlapping portion of such public plaza conforms to the design standard of a sidewalk widening;

(iv)        by an off-street subway entrance, provided such an entrance is located at a side lot line or is located at the intersection of two street lines;

(v)        if overlapped by the queuing space of a relocated or renovated subway entrance, provided that the queuing space for the entrance leaves at least a five foot uninterrupted width of sidewalk widening along the entire length of the queuing space; or

(vi)        by a driveway that is located at a side lot line; however, where the zoning lot has a through block connection, a through block galleria or a through block public plaza at such a side lot line, the location of its driveway is not restricted. The area occupied by the driveway, up to the width of the sidewalk widening, may be counted toward meeting the pedestrian circulation space requirement, provided that there shall be no change of grade within the area of the sidewalk widening.

(3)        Permitted obstructions

A sidewalk widening shall be unobstructed from its lowest level to the sky except for those obstructions permitted under paragraph (f)(2) of this Section, for qualifying exterior wall thickness pursuant to Section 33-23, and for temporary elements of weather protection, such as awnings or canopies, provided that the total area of such elements, measured on the plan, does not exceed 20 percent of the sidewalk widening area, and that such elements and any attachments thereto are at least eight feet above curb level.

(4)        Specific prohibitions

No street trees are permitted on a sidewalk widening. No vehicle storage, parking or storage of trash is permitted on a sidewalk widening. Gratings may not occupy more than 50 percent of the sidewalk widening area nor be wider than one half the width of the sidewalk widening.

(5)        Special design treatment

When one end of the sidewalk widening abuts an existing building on the zoning lot or an existing building on the side lot line of the adjacent zoning lot, design treatment of the termination of the sidewalk widening is required to smooth pedestrian flow. The portion of the sidewalk widening subject to design treatment, hereinafter called the transition area, shall not extend more than 10 feet nor less than five feet along the sidewalk widening from its termination.

The transition area shall receive special design treatment which may include, but is not limited to, landscaping, sculpture or building transparency. The transition area shall be designed to effect a gradual change of the sidewalk widening width to match the street wall line of the existing building at the sidewalk widening’s termination. This may be accomplished by a curved or diagonal edge of paving along a landscaped bed, the use of stepped edges of the building or other architectural treatment of the building or paving which avoids an abrupt visual termination of the sidewalk widening. Such special design treatment may be considered a permitted obstruction.

(g)        Transit volumes and improvements to mass transit stations

Where transit volumes or improvements to mass transit stations are provided pursuant to the provisions of Article VI, Chapter 6 (Special Regulations Applying Around Mass Transit Stations), each square foot of mass transit access may constitute one square foot of required pedestrian circulation space, not to exceed 3,000 square feet. For the purposes of this paragraph, defined terms include those in Section 66-11 (Definitions).

(h)        Through block connection

A through block connection is a paved, open or enclosed space providing unobstructed access to the building's main lobby and connecting, in a straight, continuous, unobstructed path, two parallel or nearly parallel streets.

Up to a maximum of 3,000 square feet of a through block connection may count toward the minimum pedestrian circulation space requirement.

A through block connection shall meet the following requirements:

(1)        Location

(i)        A through block connection shall be located at least 150 feet from the intersection of two streets.

(ii)        Where the zoning lot or a portion thereof is directly across a street from, and opposite to, an existing through block connection on an adjacent block and the existing connection is at least 150 feet from the intersection of two streets, the alignment of the new through block connection shall overlap with that of the existing connection. Such existing connection may also be a through block galleria, through block public plaza or any through block circulation area with a minimum width of 12 feet, which is located within a building.

(iii)        Where there are already two through block connections located on the same block, a new through block connection shall not count toward meeting the pedestrian circulation space requirement.

(iv)        No through block connection shall be permitted on any portion of a zoning lot occupied by a landmark or interior landmark so designated by the Landmarks Preservation Commission, or occupied by a building whose designation as a landmark or interior landmark has been calendared for public hearing and is pending before the Landmarks Preservation Commission.

(2)        Design standards for a through block connection

(i)        A through block connection shall provide a straight, continuous, unobstructed path at least 15 feet wide. If covered, the clear, unobstructed height of a through block connection shall not be less than 15 feet. Qualifying exterior wall thickness, as set forth in Section 33-23, shall be a permitted obstruction to such path.

(ii)        At no point shall the level of a through block connection be more than five feet above or below curb level. In all cases, the through block connection must provide a clear path, accessible to people with disabilities, through its entire length.

(iii)        A through block connection may be located inside or outside of a building. The area of a through block connection located within a building shall be counted as floor area.

(iv)        A through block connection located partially or wholly within a building shall adjoin and connect directly to the building's main lobby via unobstructed openings with an aggregate width exceeding that of any other entrances to the lobby.

(v)        A through block connection located wholly or partially outside a building shall provide unobstructed access directly to the building's main lobby through the major entrance. For the purposes of this Section, the major entrance shall be that entrance to the main lobby which has the greatest aggregate width of clear openings for access.

(vi)        Any portion of a through block connection located outside a building shall be illuminated throughout with a minimum level of illumination of not less than five horizontal foot candles (lumens per candle). Such illumination shall be maintained throughout the hours of darkness.

(vii)        A through block connection shall at a minimum be accessible to the public from 8:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. on the days the building is open for business and shall have posted, in prominent, visible locations at its entrances, signs meeting the standards set forth in paragraph (h)(2)(viii) of this Section.

(viii)        A through block connection shall provide the following information for public access at each public entry to the through block connection:

(a)        For an unenclosed through block connection, the public access information shall be an entry plaque located at the entrance to the through block connection at each street frontage. The entry plaque shall contain:

(1)        a public space symbol and required text that matches the dimensions and graphic standards provided in the Privately Owned Public Space Signage file from the Required Signage Symbols page on the Department of City Planning website. Such symbol and required text shall include the phrase “Open To Public” and shall be provided with a highly contrasting background, in a format that ensures legibility. Additional requirements and review procedures for privately owned public space signage systems are specified in Title 62, Chapter 11, of the Rules of the City of New York; and

(2)        an international Symbol of Access for people with disabilities that is at least three inches square.

The entry plaque shall be mounted with its center five feet above the elevation of the nearest walkable pavement on a wall or a permanent freestanding post. It shall be placed so that the entire entry plaque is obvious and directly visible without any obstruction, along every line of sight from all paths of pedestrian access to the through block connection, in a position that clearly identifies the entry to the connection.

(b)        For an enclosed through block connection or a portion thereof:

(1)        a public space symbol and required text as described in paragraph (h)(2)(viii)(a) of this Section, shall be mounted with its center five feet above the elevation of the nearest walkable pavement;

(2)        lettering stating "PUBLIC ACCESS TO ____ STREET," indicating the opposite street to which the through block connection passes and which lettering shall not be less than three inches in height and located not more than three inches away from the public space symbol and required text; and

(3)        lettering not more than two inches or less than one and a half inches in height stating "Open" with the hours and days of operation of the through block connection. This lettering shall be located not more than three inches from the public space symbol and required text.

The above required information shall be permanently affixed on the glass panel of the entry doors of the through block connection clearly facing the direction of pedestrian flow. The information shall be located not higher than six feet or lower than three feet above the level of the pedestrian path at the entry.

(i)        Public plaza

A maximum of 30 percent of the area of a public plaza that faces a street intersection, or provides access to a major building entrance, may be counted toward meeting the pedestrian circulation space requirement.

A maximum of 3,000 square feet of a through block public plaza may be counted toward meeting the pedestrian circulation space requirement.

For all other public plazas, the first 10 feet of depth from the street line may be counted toward meeting the pedestrian circulation space requirement, provided that the public plaza conforms to the design standards of a sidewalk widening as set forth in paragraph (f) of this Section.

All public plazas shall comply with Section 37-70 (PUBLIC PLAZAS), inclusive.

Any area of permitted overlap between pedestrian circulation spaces or other amenities shall be counted only once toward meeting the required amount of pedestrian circulation space. Unobstructed access shall be provided between overlapping spaces.