No public plaza, or portion thereof, shall be located within 175 feet of an existing publicly accessible open area or public park as measured along the street line on which the existing amenity fronts if the public plaza is to be located on the same side of the street, or as measured along the directly opposite street line if the public plaza is to be located on the other side of the street. Such distance shall include the width of any street that intersects the street on which the amenity fronts. However, such location restriction may be waived if the public plaza is located directly across the street from the existing publicly accessible open area or public park and if the Chairperson of the City Planning Commission finds that the location of the public plaza at such location would create or contribute to a pedestrian circulation network connecting the two or more open areas.

Additional provisions regarding the location of a public plaza are set forth in the Special Midtown District, the Special Lower Manhattan District and the Special Downtown Brooklyn District.