NYC Zoning Handbook:
Manufacturing Districts: M1

M1 areas range from the Garment District in Manhattan, with its multistory lofts, to areas in the other boroughs with low-bulk plants. The M1 district is often an industrial front yard or a buffer to adjacent residential or commercial districts. Strict performance standards are common to all M1 districts. Light industries typically found in M1 areas include knitting mills, printing plants and wholesale service facilities. In theory, nearly all industrial uses can locate in M1 areas if they meet the rigorous performance standards required in the Zoning Resolution. Retail and office uses are also permitted. Use Group 4 community facilities are allowed in M1 zones by special permit but not in other manufacturing districts. Parking and loading requirements vary with district and use, but high density districts (M14 to M1-6) are exempt from parking requirements. Residential development is generally not allowed in manufacturing districts.

However, M1 districts with a significant number of residential buildings may be mapped M1-D. The D suffix indicates that limited new residential uses are permitted, by City Planning Commission authorization, on sites that meet specific criteria. The maximum FAR for permitted residential uses is 1.65. Accessory parking for residences is not required, except in M1-1D districts.

Under certain criteria, artists may have joint living-work quarters in lofts in M1-5A and M1-5B districts (mapped in the SoHo/NoHo area of Lower Manhattan). In M1-5M and M1-6M districts, the conversion of non-residential floors of a building to dwelling units is permitted, provided a specified amount of floor area is preserved for certain categories of manufacturing, industrial and commercial uses. Conversion to dwellings is also allowed, with various restrictions, in the Special Lower Manhattan Mixed Use District.

M1: Light manufacturing - high performance

Located adjacent to low density residential areas
M1-1 FAR: 1.0
Parking: required

Older industrial areas
M1-2 FAR: 2.0
Parking: required

Older industrial areas
M1-3 FAR: 5.0
Parking: required

Located mainly in Manhattan CBD
M1-4 FAR: 2.0
Parking: not required

Loft areas located mainly in Manhattan CBD
M1-5 FAR: 5.0
Parking: not required

Loft areas in Mid-Manhattan
M1-6 FAR: 10
Parking: not required

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