Parking must (theoretically) be either in the “side lot ribbon,” a driveway long the side lot line, within the building, or in the rear yard.

In many zones the front yard rules were modified to bring buildings closer to the street, eliminating the possibility of a parking pad in the front yard. (Some folks just park partially in the yard, and partially on the sidewalk, however).

And a limitation was put in place on the amount of total curb cuts, in some cases with a minimum of 34 feet required between them, to preserve on-street parking for the neighborhood. New buildings on small lots continued to allowed to waive parking altogether.

The largest building constructed in my neighborhood since the new rules, however, simply ignored them, filing one set to building plans and building something else. When I reported it, they probably just went to the BSA, told the “seven lies” as the seven findings for a variance are called in the land use law trade, and got legalized. It is on 17th Street between 10th and 11th Avenues in Brooklyn.

It would make a photo opposite to this one. In theory 34 feet between curb cuts is required, and no front yard parking is permitted. The zoning also required that the new building line up with those on either side, but it doesn’t, because that would have left no room for front yard parking.

The legal parking would have been a common space in the basement, something the sloping street facilitated, and was actually done in new buildings in more affluent Park Slope.