858,644 PARCELS SCANNED

Underbuilt parcels in Manhattan

Every lot below is built under the density its zoning already allows. The gap is unused floor area ratio — the space City of Yes made buildable in December 2024, ranked largest first.

Underbuilt parcels in Manhattan, ranked by unused floor area ratio
36 WEST 29 STREETVacant lot
BBL 1008300069 · 6,419 sq ft lot
M1-8A/R12 · Manhattan
0.00 / 15.00
+15.00unused FAR
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3 WEST 29 STREETVacant lot
BBL 1008310030 · 7,357 sq ft lot
M1-8A/R12 · Manhattan
0.00 / 15.00
+15.00unused FAR
View on the map
16 WEST 30 STREETVacant lot
BBL 1008310049 · 2,666 sq ft lot
M1-8A/R12 · Manhattan
0.00 / 15.00
+15.00unused FAR
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253 WEST 29 STREET
BBL 1007790008 · 4,938 sq ft lot
M1-9A/R12 · Manhattan
0.00 / 15.00
+15.00unused FAR
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7 WEST 28 STREET
BBL 1008300034 · 2,420 sq ft lot
M1-8A/R12 · Manhattan
0.00 / 15.00
+15.00unused FAR
View on the map
WEST 28 STREET
BBL 1008300032 · 7,456 sq ft lot
M1-8A/R12 · Manhattan
0.00 / 15.00
+15.00unused FAR
View on the map
9 WEST 29 STREETVacant lot
BBL 1008310029 · 2,765 sq ft lot
M1-8A/R12 · Manhattan
0.00 / 15.00
+15.00unused FAR
View on the map
11 WEST 29 STREETVacant lot
BBL 1008310028 · 2,469 sq ft lot
M1-8A/R12 · Manhattan
0.00 / 15.00
+15.00unused FAR
View on the map
6 WEST 29 STREET
BBL 1008300048 · 2,469 sq ft lot
M1-8A/R12 · Manhattan
0.00 / 15.00
+15.00unused FAR
View on the map
10 WEST 29 STREET
BBL 1008300051 · 3,703 sq ft lot
M1-8A/R12 · Manhattan
0.00 / 15.00
+15.00unused FAR
View on the map
8 WEST 30 STREETVacant lot
BBL 1008310048 · 9,875 sq ft lot
M1-8A/R12 · Manhattan
0.00 / 15.00
+15.00unused FAR
View on the map
124 WEST 31 STREET
BBL 1008060056 · 5,103 sq ft lot
M1-9A/R12 · Manhattan
0.00 / 15.00
+15.00unused FAR
View on the map
47 WEST 39 STREET
BBL 1008410013 · 2,063 sq ft lot
M1-9A/R12 · Manhattan
0.95 / 15.00
+14.05unused FAR
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521 8 AVENUE
BBL 1007600038 · 2,902 sq ft lot
M1-9A/R12 · Manhattan
1.02 / 15.00
+13.98unused FAR
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36 WEST 28 STREET
BBL 1008290064 · 2,472 sq ft lot
M1-8A/R12 · Manhattan
1.30 / 15.00
+13.70unused FAR
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216 WEST 30 STREET
BBL 1007790053 · 4,624 sq ft lot
M1-9A/R12 · Manhattan
1.55 / 15.00
+13.45unused FAR
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234 WEST 30 STREET
BBL 1007790062 · 2,313 sq ft lot
M1-9A/R12 · Manhattan
1.64 / 15.00
+13.36unused FAR
View on the map
247 WEST 29 STREET
BBL 1007790012 · 2,477 sq ft lot
M1-9A/R12 · Manhattan
1.78 / 15.00
+13.22unused FAR
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225 WEST 29 STREET
BBL 1007790025 · 2,312 sq ft lot
M1-9A/R12 · Manhattan
1.83 / 15.00
+13.17unused FAR
View on the map
610 8 AVENUE
BBL 1007890082 · 1,894 sq ft lot
M1-9A/R12 · Manhattan
1.90 / 15.00
+13.10unused FAR
View on the map
26 WEST 37 STREET
BBL 1008380065 · 2,364 sq ft lot
M1-9A/R12 · Manhattan
1.90 / 15.00
+13.10unused FAR
View on the map
58 WEST 38 STREET
BBL 1008390078 · 2,057 sq ft lot
M1-9A/R12 · Manhattan
1.91 / 15.00
+13.09unused FAR
View on the map
220 WEST 30 STREET
BBL 1007790055 · 2,312 sq ft lot
M1-9A/R12 · Manhattan
1.91 / 15.00
+13.09unused FAR
View on the map
207 WEST 38 STREET
BBL 1007880043 · 1,800 sq ft lot
M1-9A/R12 · Manhattan
1.94 / 15.00
+13.06unused FAR
View on the map
1212 BROADWAY
BBL 1008310061 · 1,880 sq ft lot
M1-8A/R12 · Manhattan
1.97 / 15.00
+13.03unused FAR
View on the map

Showing the top 25 parcels by unused FAR. Source: NYC Department of City Planning PLUTO, via NYC Open Data.

How to read this

Floor area ratio is the multiple of the lot area a building may cover. A 2,500 sq ft lot zoned for 6.0 FAR permits roughly 15,000 sq ft of building.

Unused FAR is what zoning allows minus what stands there now. A lot at 0.00 built against 6.02 allowed is vacant or near-vacant in a district zoned for an apartment building.

Vacant lot marks a parcel PLUTO records as vacant land, with no building area and no units. A reading of 0.00 built FAR on one of these is the lot being empty, not the data being missing.

City of Yes for Housing Opportunity, adopted December 2024, was the largest zoning change in NYC since 1961. It added density in residential and commercial districts across all five boroughs.

What is excluded. Parkland, transit and utility parcels, and public institutions are filtered out — they carry unused FAR on paper but cannot be privately developed. Lots under 1,000 sq ft are excluded as too small to build on.

A large gap is a starting point, not a verdict. Lot shape, landmark status, flood zone, and existing tenancy all decide whether it can be built. Read the methodology.