4. There Are No Height Restrictions on the Site

View from New York by Gehry

The zoning of the New York Downtown plot allowed for maximum floor area ratio without any height restrictions, so no additional rezonings needed to occur to permit New York by Gehry to reach full height. In other words, the building could be built as of right without any additional permits or approvals (although the sale of the land required Mayor Bloomberg’s approval). However, because the building could take up the entire lot of land and become very close to buildings just next door, neighbors filed a lawsuit. After a series of public meetings, a setback was agreed upon which allowed for a public plaza/park with through-block pedestrian spaces on the site.