Public Ground

Plate 62 of 116BrooklynBrooklyn Community Board 3

The Steps at Saratoga

This site can hold about 235–300 homes under the zoning maximum for qualifying affordable or senior housing. The City's LIFT tracker lists 253.

  • Index entry
  • Tracker status: Post Public Approval
  • Lead agency: HPD

View in ZoLaChecks and sources

Plate 62. The Steps at Saratoga: block 1549, lot 18, Brooklyn. The site is tinted pink; neighboring lots are outlined and other City-owned lots are hatched.1240415257646512426282930313256789101112131516173738394012212418Fulton StreetHerkimer StreetHull StreetSaratoga AvenueN0200 ft

Block 1549, lot 18Tax lots from MapPLUTO; street names from the Digital City Map. Pink: this site. Hatched: other City-owned lots. Heavy lines: block edges.

Floor area follows exactly from the Zoning Resolution. Homes are a range, because unit size and building efficiency are choices.

Lot area
36,000 sq ft
Zoning district
R7D
Maximum residential floor area
167,760 sq ft36,000 sq ft × 4.66 FAR
With qualifying affordable or senior housing
201,600 sq ft36,000 sq ft × 5.60 FAR
Maximum community facility floor area
167,760 sq ft36,000 sq ft × 4.66 FAR

Homes, as a range

CaseHomesHow
Low235201,600 sq ft × 0.7 ÷ 599 sq ft
Base291201,600 sq ft × 0.8 ÷ 553 sq ft
High296201,600 sq ft × 0.85 ÷ 514 sq ft = 333, capped at 201,600 ÷ 680 (ZR 23-52)

Floor area × efficiency ÷ average home size. Efficiency 0.7–0.85; average home 514–599 sq ft. Assumptions and their basis.

What binds first

Floor area

None of the earlier constraints on our list applies, so the maximum floor area the zoning allows is the limit.

What the neighborhood asked for

Brooklyn Community Board 3's formal requests to the City, from its annual Statement of Community District Needs and Budget Requests.

Each quotation below was found word for word on the cited page by script. None reviewed by a person yet.

Housing the board asked for

  • HousingCapital request to Department of Housing Preservation & Development

    Provide more housing for low income households

    “The pace and breadth of new affordable housing does not meet the demand resulting in widespread displacement and it is significantly impacting neighborhood demographics. …”

    FY2027 statement, p. 33 · priority 1 of 2 within the agency · awaiting a person's review

    ResponseThe Executive Budget includes a city-wide allocation for this work. Specific locations are determined by the Agency.

Other requests in these categories

  • LibrariesCapital request to Brooklyn Public Library

    Create a new, or renovate or upgrade an existing public library

    “The Marcy Library has several large capital needs. They include ADA compliant bathrooms, safety and security enhancements, exterior renovation, interior renovation including initial outfitting, furniture, …”

    FY2027 statement, p. 35 · priority CS within the agency · awaiting a person's review

    ResponseRestoring and/or increasing funding is needed for this request. It is recommended that this request be brought to the attention of your elected officials i.e. Borough President and/or City Council Member.

  • LibrariesExpense request to Brooklyn Public Library

    Visually Impaired and Low Vision Access

    “Our library branches can better serve the needs of low-vision and visually impaired patrons by providing assistive technology devices such as magnifiers, scanners, lighting, and …”

    FY2027 statement, p. 37 · priority 1 of 3 within the agency · awaiting a person's review

    ResponseFurther study by the agency of this request is needed. Therefore, OMB does not take any position.

  • LibrariesCapital request to Brooklyn Public Library

    Create a new, or renovate or upgrade an existing public library

    “The Board requests support for that the longstanding, needed repair of the retaining wall at the Macon Library be funded. …”

    FY2027 statement, p. 35 · priority CS within the agency · awaiting a person's review

    ResponseThis project was funded in a prior fiscal year and the final design contract has been let.

  • LibrariesExpense request to Brooklyn Public Library

    Extend library hours or expand and enhance library programs

    “The Board requests the expansion and enhancement of programming at African American Heritage Center at the Macon Library including the acquisition of databases, collection materials, …”

    FY2027 statement, p. 37 · priority 2 of 3 within the agency · awaiting a person's review

    ResponseIt is recommended that this request be brought to the attention of your Elected Officials.

  • LibrariesExpense request to Brooklyn Public Library

    African American Heritage Center Expansion and Enhancement

    “The Board requests the expansion and enhancement of programming at African American Heritage Center at the Macon Library including the acquisition of databases, collection materials, …”

    FY2027 statement, p. 37 · priority 3 of 3 within the agency · awaiting a person's review

    ResponseIt is recommended that this request be brought to the attention of your Elected Officials.

5 other requests in these categories are listed on the web page.

What gets in the way

Flags are flags, not verdicts. Each comes from a public layer, named in the sources.

  • Caution

    (E) designation E-185

    An environmental requirement (hazardous materials and noise) must be satisfied before the Department of Buildings issues permits for new development.

  • Caution

    May cover only part of the project

    The tracker gives one point per project and no tax lots. This page covers the lot under that point; the project may include more lots, so figures may understate it.

Nearest subway station: Ralph Av (C), 910 ft in a straight line.

What this doesn't account for

This page shows what public data and the zoning text can tell us. These questions need information that isn't public, or a decision that isn't ours.

  • Public land use review (ULURP). Selling or leasing City land, or approving a housing project on it, generally goes through ULURP (community board, borough president, City Planning Commission, City Council), and this estimate does not presume the outcome.
  • Disposition of City property (Charter 384 / UDAAP). Transferring the land needs Mayoral approval under Charter Sec. 384 and, for HPD projects, usually Urban Development Action Area designation and project approval under NY General Municipal Law Article 16.
  • Environmental review (CEQR/SEQRA). Any discretionary approval, disposition or City funding triggers CEQR/SEQRA review, which can require mitigation (e.g. for hazardous materials, noise or historic resources) or reshape the project.
  • (E) designations. A lot with an (E) designation or environmental restrictive declaration for hazardous materials, air quality or noise cannot receive building permits until the Office of Environmental Remediation signs off.
  • Subsurface and site conditions. Unknown soil, rock, groundwater and contamination can shrink or eliminate cellars and add foundation and cleanup costs, and HPD requires every project to investigate and, if needed, remediate contamination.
  • Deed restrictions and reverter clauses. Land the City bought or sold may carry deed restrictions or reverter clauses limiting its use, which must be checked in title records (ACRIS) and DCAS's deed-restriction database.
  • Parkland alienation. If a site is municipal parkland, it cannot be sold or used for housing without an act of the State Legislature signed by the Governor.
  • Current occupants, uses and agency plans. Many City-owned lots are in active use or assigned to an agency, or have funded capital projects, and this estimate does not reflect relocation needs or agency plans (check COLP and the Capital Commitment Plan).
  • Mapped streets, easements and utilities. Mapped-but-unbuilt ('paper') streets, sewer and water easements and utility lines can take land out of the buildable area, and no permit may be issued for a building in the bed of a mapped street.
  • Street access. A lot with no frontage on a mapped street cannot get a building permit on its own and must be combined with a neighboring lot or have access mapped.
  • Landmarks review. Sites that are individual landmarks or inside historic districts need Landmarks Preservation Commission approval, which can limit demolition, height and bulk.
  • Flood-resistant construction. Sites in the 1% annual chance floodplain (or the 0.2% shaded X-Zone for critical facilities) must meet Building Code Appendix G, whose elevation and floodproofing rules can cost usable ground-floor and cellar space.
  • Airport height limits. Near JFK, LaGuardia and Floyd Bennett Field, zoning flight-obstruction surfaces cap building height, and tall structures anywhere need FAA notice.
  • State and federal funding conditions. Federal or State money brings its own requirements (e.g. HUD environmental review under 24 CFR Part 58, Davis-Bacon prevailing wages, Section 3 hiring) that can change cost, timing and program.
  • Zoning capacity is a ceiling, not a plan. The figures show what zoning allows, and actual HPD projects often build less, for example to fit neighborhood context, a community facility or funding limits.

Checks

What has been verified on this page, and by what.

Tax lots (1)
3-01549-0018Resolved from the tracker point (see method)
Zoning checked against DCP's zoning data
Not yet checked
Floor area checked by an independent recalculation
Not yet checked

Sources

Superscript numbers next to figures refer to this list. Select one to see the source.

  1. LIFT Tracker (Land Inventory Fast Track), ArcGIS layer LIFT_Tracker/FeatureServer/0Dataset · NYC Mayor's Office · as of July 30, 2026 · retrieved September 23, 2026
  2. MapPLUTO 26v2Dataset · NYC Department of City Planning · as of September 9, 2026 · retrieved September 23, 2026
  3. Zoning Resolution § 23-22, R7D: 4.66 FARZoning Resolution · NYC Department of City Planning · as of September 10, 2026
  4. Zoning Resolution § 23-22, R7D, qualifying affordable housing or qualifying senior housing: 5.60 FARZoning Resolution · NYC Department of City Planning · as of September 10, 2026
  5. Zoning Resolution § 24-11, R7D: 4.66 FARZoning Resolution · NYC Department of City Planning · as of September 10, 2026
  6. Declared assumption: building efficiency, low 0.7, base 0.8, high 0.85Declared assumption · as of September 23, 2026
  7. Declared assumption: average home size (net), low 514, base 553, high 599 sq ftDeclared assumption · as of September 23, 2026
  8. Zoning Resolution § 23-52, Dwelling unit factor 680Zoning Resolution · NYC Department of City Planning
  9. Zoning Resolution rules pack, 248 districts, every value cited to a ZR sectionZoning Resolution · Public Ground, from the NYC Zoning Resolution
  10. (E) Designations 20260707Dataset · NYC Department of City Planning · as of August 12, 2026 · retrieved September 23, 2026
  11. FY2027 Statement of Community District Needs and Community Board Budget Requests, Brooklyn Community Board 3 FY2027, PDF p. 33Document · NYC Department of City Planning · retrieved September 23, 2026
  12. FY2027 Register of Community Board Budget Requests (Adopted Budget), Brooklyn Community Board 3 FY2027 Adopted, Agency responseDocument · NYC Office of Management and Budget · as of June 30, 2026
  13. FY2027 Statement of Community District Needs and Community Board Budget Requests, Brooklyn Community Board 3 FY2027, PDF p. 35Document · NYC Department of City Planning · retrieved September 23, 2026
  14. FY2027 Statement of Community District Needs and Community Board Budget Requests, Brooklyn Community Board 3 FY2027, PDF p. 37Document · NYC Department of City Planning · retrieved September 23, 2026
  15. MTA Subway StationsDataset · Metropolitan Transportation Authority · as of September 23, 2026 · retrieved September 23, 2026
  16. Digital City Map street centerlinesDataset · NYC Department of City Planning · as of December 1, 2025 · retrieved September 23, 2026
  17. New York City Charter Sec. 197-c (Uniform land use review procedure), Sec. 197-c(a)(8) and (a)(10)Document
  18. NYC Charter Sec. 384 (Disposal of property of the city), Sec. 384(a)Document
  19. CEQR Technical Manual, Chapter 2 (December 2025 edition), PDF p. 1 (printed p. 2-1)Document
  20. Zoning Resolution 11-15 (Environmental Requirements), ZR 11-15(a); last amended 2012-03-28Document
  21. HPD Design Guidelines for New Construction 2026, PDF p. 13, Secs. 1.1.1 and 1.1.4Document
  22. Deed Restriction Database (NYC Open Data rfu7-paqe), dataset descriptionDocument
  23. Handbook on the Alienation and Conversion of Municipal Parkland (NYS OPRHP, revised 2017-09-01), PDF p. 3, 'Parkland Alienation'Document
  24. City Owned and Leased Property (COLP), NYC Open Data fn4k-qyk2, dataset description (version 20260430)Document
  25. NY General City Law Sec. 35, GCL 35Document
  26. NY General City Law Sec. 36, GCL 36Document
  27. LPC - Applications page, page textDocument
  28. 2022 NYC Building Code, Appendix G (as amended by Local Law 77 of 2023), PDF p. 1, Sec. G102.1Document
  29. Zoning Resolution 61-21 (Restriction on Highest Projection of Building or Structure), ZR 61-21; 61-11 designates JFK, LaGuardia and U.S. Naval Air Station (Floyd Bennett Field)Document
  30. HPD ELLA Term Sheet (updated 2020-03-10), PDF p. 4Document
  31. CPC report C 260071 HAM (1727 Amsterdam Avenue), PDF p. 8Document
1. LIFT Tracker (Land Inventory Fast Track)
Dataset · NYC Mayor's Office
Where
ArcGIS layer LIFT_Tracker/FeatureServer/0
As of
July 30, 2026
Retrieved
September 23, 2026

One point per project. BBLs resolved by point-in-lot against MapPLUTO, HPD's Local Law 125 report, or address geocoding; see the method page.

Open source

2. MapPLUTO 26v2
Dataset · NYC Department of City Planning
As of
September 9, 2026
Retrieved
September 23, 2026

Open source

3. Zoning Resolution § 23-22
Zoning Resolution · NYC Department of City Planning
Where
R7D: 4.66 FAR
As of
September 10, 2026

R7D | 4.66 | 5.60

Open source

4. Zoning Resolution § 23-22
Zoning Resolution · NYC Department of City Planning
Where
R7D, qualifying affordable housing or qualifying senior housing: 5.60 FAR
As of
September 10, 2026

R7D | 4.66 | 5.60

Open source

5. Zoning Resolution § 24-11
Zoning Resolution · NYC Department of City Planning
Where
R7D: 4.66 FAR
As of
September 10, 2026

R7D | 4.66 | 80 | 65

Open source

6. Declared assumption: building efficiency
Declared assumption
Where
low 0.7, base 0.8, high 0.85
As of
September 23, 2026

Net home area as a share of residential floor area. Basis: 2025 HCR Design Guidelines, PDF p. 40, Sec. 3.4.1a 'Overall Building Efficiency', Table 3.4.1; 2025 HCR Design Guidelines, PDF p. 40, Sec. 3.4.1; Market & Financial Study: NYC Mandatory Inclusionary Housing (BAE Urban Economics, BJH Advisors, James Lima Planning + Development), PDF p. 68 (printed p. 64), Appendix C, Table C-1 'Developer Interview Summary'; Market & Financial Study: NYC Mandatory Inclusionary Housing, PDF p. 41 (printed p. 37), 'Zoning and Floor Area Ratio'; HPD Design Guidelines for New Construction 2026, PDF p. 28, 'Unit Area Calculation'. Our assumption; no City agency publishes this ratio.

Open source

7. Declared assumption: average home size (net)
Declared assumption
Where
low 514, base 553, high 599 sq ft
As of
September 23, 2026

HPD target net areas by bedroom count, weighted by HPD's observed bedroom mix. Basis: HPD Design Guidelines for New Construction 2026, PDF p. 31, Sec. 4.4.1; HPD Design Guidelines for New Construction 2026, PDF p. 33, Sec. 4.5.1; HPD Design Guidelines for New Construction 2026, PDF p. 36, Sec. 4.6.1; HPD Design Guidelines for New Construction 2026, PDF p. 39, Sec. 4.7.1; HPD Design Guidelines for New Construction 2026, PDF p. 42, Sec. 4.8.1; HPD Design Guidelines for New Construction 2026, PDF p. 6, 'Applicability'; HPD Design Guidelines for New Construction, Version 2.02 (edition in force before 2026-10-01), PDF pp. 42-58 (e.g. p. 44 for 0-BR, p. 58 for 4-BR), Secs. 5.3-5.8 tables 'TARGET NET'; HPD ELLA Term Sheet (Extremely Low & Low-Income Affordability), PDF p. 5, 'Design and Construction Requirements'; Affordable Housing Production by Building (NYC Open Data hg8x-zxpr), fields studio_units, _1_br_units ... _6_br_units; filter reporting_construction_type='New Construction' AND all_counted_units >= total_units - 1.

Open source

8. Zoning Resolution § 23-52
Zoning Resolution · NYC Department of City Planning
Where
Dwelling unit factor 680

In the districts indicated, for buildings containing multiple dwelling residences, the maximum number of dwelling units permitted shall be determined by dividing the maximum residential floor area permitted on the zoning lot by the applicable dwelling unit factor. ... For all other types of multiple dwelling residences, the applicable dwelling unit factor shall be 680. Fractions equal to or greater than three-quarters resulting from this calculation shall be considered to be one dwelling unit.

Open source

9. Zoning Resolution rules pack
Zoning Resolution · Public Ground, from the NYC Zoning Resolution
Where
248 districts, every value cited to a ZR section

ZR text: ZR site home page: "All text changes approved by the city council as of Sep 10, 2026". Every Article II section cited here (21-14, 23-xx, 24-xx, 27-xx) and 62-32x, 74-79, 75-24, 75-42x shows "Last Amended 12/5/2024" (City of Yes for Housing Opportunity, N 240290 ZRY); exceptions among cited sections: 11-122 (8/14/2025, Midtown South Mixed-Use Plan), 11-25 (6/29/1994), 12-10 page (3/26/2026), 62-361 (7/16/2026); no citywide (ZRY) text amendment has been adopted since (Recently Adopted list, 12/5/2024-9/10/2026, contains only site-specific and neighborhood amendments). 12-10 "wide street" last amended 3/26/2026 (Allen Street Mall, N 250307 ZRM - adds Allen Street roadways in Manhattan CD 3).

Open source

10. (E) Designations 20260707
Dataset · NYC Department of City Planning
As of
August 12, 2026
Retrieved
September 23, 2026

Open source

11. FY2027 Statement of Community District Needs and Community Board Budget Requests, Brooklyn Community Board 3 FY2027
Document · NYC Department of City Planning
Where
PDF p. 33
Retrieved
September 23, 2026

Open source

12. FY2027 Register of Community Board Budget Requests (Adopted Budget), Brooklyn Community Board 3 FY2027 Adopted
Document · NYC Office of Management and Budget
Where
Agency response
As of
June 30, 2026

Open source

13. FY2027 Statement of Community District Needs and Community Board Budget Requests, Brooklyn Community Board 3 FY2027
Document · NYC Department of City Planning
Where
PDF p. 35
Retrieved
September 23, 2026

Open source

14. FY2027 Statement of Community District Needs and Community Board Budget Requests, Brooklyn Community Board 3 FY2027
Document · NYC Department of City Planning
Where
PDF p. 37
Retrieved
September 23, 2026

Open source

15. MTA Subway Stations
Dataset · Metropolitan Transportation Authority
As of
September 23, 2026
Retrieved
September 23, 2026

Open source

16. Digital City Map street centerlines
Dataset · NYC Department of City Planning
As of
December 1, 2025
Retrieved
September 23, 2026

Open source

17. New York City Charter Sec. 197-c (Uniform land use review procedure)
Document
Where
Sec. 197-c(a)(8) and (a)(10)

(8) Housing and urban renewal plans and projects pursuant to city, state and federal housing laws; ... (10) Sale, lease (other than the lease of office space), exchange, or other disposition of the real property of the city

Open source

18. NYC Charter Sec. 384 (Disposal of property of the city)
Document
Where
Sec. 384(a)

No real property of the city may be sold, leased, exchanged or otherwise disposed of except with the approval of the mayor and as may be provided by law unless such power is expressly vested by law in another agency.

Open source

19. CEQR Technical Manual, Chapter 2 (December 2025 edition)
Document
Where
PDF p. 1 (printed p. 2-1)

CEQR requires all city agencies to determine whether discretionary actions they directly approve, fund, or undertake may significantly and adversely affect the environment.

Open source

20. Zoning Resolution 11-15 (Environmental Requirements)
Document
Where
ZR 11-15(a); last amended 2012-03-28

Prior to issuing a building permit or temporary or final certificate of occupancy ... on a tax lot that has an (E) designation or an environmental restrictive declaration related to hazardous materials, noise or air quality, the Department of Buildings (DOB) shall be furnished with a notice issued by OER stating that OER does not object

Open source

21. HPD Design Guidelines for New Construction 2026
Document
Where
PDF p. 13, Secs. 1.1.1 and 1.1.4

1.1.1 Avoid excessive excavation. Particularly in areas with unknown subsurface conditions, and where rock or high-water tables are prevalent, proposed cellars may have to be reduced, relocated, or even eliminated.

Open source

22. Deed Restriction Database (NYC Open Data rfu7-paqe)
Document
Where
dataset description

A searchable electronic database of all real property upon which a deed restriction was imposed by the Department of Citywide Administrative Services, pursuant to Local Law 176 of 2016.

Open source

23. Handbook on the Alienation and Conversion of Municipal Parkland (NYS OPRHP, revised 2017-09-01)
Document
Where
PDF p. 3, 'Parkland Alienation'

In order to convey parkland away, or to use parkland for another purpose, a municipality must receive prior authorization from the State in the form of legislation enacted by the New York State Legislature and approved by the Governor.

Open source

24. City Owned and Leased Property (COLP), NYC Open Data fn4k-qyk2
Document
Where
dataset description (version 20260430)

City Owned and Leased Properties (COLP) is published by the Department of City Planning (DCP) as required by chapter 204 of the City Charter. It includes the location and current use of all City-owned and leased properties.

Open source

25. NY General City Law Sec. 35
Document
Where
GCL 35

For the purpose of preserving the integrity of such official map or plan no permit shall hereafter be issued for any building in the bed of any street or highway shown or laid out on such map or plan

Open source

26. NY General City Law Sec. 36
Document
Where
GCL 36

No permit for the erection of any building shall be issued unless a street or highway giving access to such proposed structure has been duly placed on the official map or plan

Open source

27. LPC - Applications page
Document
Where
page text

The Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) helps preserve the City's designated landmark properties by regulating changes made to these buildings and sites.

Open source

28. 2022 NYC Building Code, Appendix G (as amended by Local Law 77 of 2023)
Document
Where
PDF p. 1, Sec. G102.1

This appendix, in conjunction with the New York City Construction Codes, provides minimum requirements for development located, in whole or in part, in special flood hazard areas and shaded X-Zones within the jurisdiction of New York City

Open source

29. Zoning Resolution 61-21 (Restriction on Highest Projection of Building or Structure)
Document
Where
ZR 61-21; 61-11 designates JFK, LaGuardia and U.S. Naval Air Station (Floyd Bennett Field)

the highest projection of any building or other structure hereafter constructed ... shall not penetrate: (a) the approach surfaces, the transitional surfaces, the horizontal surface, or the conical surface, whichever is more restrictive, within the Airport Approach District of the flight obstruction area

Open source

30. HPD ELLA Term Sheet (updated 2020-03-10)
Document
Where
PDF p. 4

Projects funded with Federal funds require compliance with Section 3 new hires and Davis Bacon prevailing wages, as applicable.

Open source

31. CPC report C 260071 HAM (1727 Amsterdam Avenue)
Document
Where
PDF p. 8

while CHO increased the maximum floor area permitted on the project site, the project sponsor does not intend to take advantage of the additional floor area.

Open source