VIDEO: State bill could end resi building density restrictions

New legislative proposal would remove cap on height for the city's resi buildings

Enormous towers seem to be springing up like mushrooms after the rain — even Brooklyn is getting its own supertall. By next week, however, the floodgates could open for speedier changes to the city’s skyline.

Last week, Brooklyn State Senator Simcha Felder and Harlem Assemblyman Keith Wright introduced a set of bills that would remove the 1961 cap on size for residential buildings. State law currently restricts the density of residential buildings using a formula referred to as F.A.R., or floor-area-ratio. The cap typically works out as 12 times the square footage of the lot on which the building stands.

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If this the new bill is passed, developers will have more leeway to build as big as they want in any of the five boroughs (within the restrictions of city zoning.) The proposal, which is backed by Mayor Bill de Blasio, will be voted on before the legislative ends on Friday.

Check out more about the bills in the above video.

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