On August 14, 2025, the New York City Council approved the city-led Midtown South Mixed-Use Plan (MSMX), rezoning a 42-block area of Midtown South where mixed-use zoning districts allowing high-density residential development will now replace the former outdated, manufacturing-only zoning districts. MSMX could facilitate development of more than 9,500 new housing units, including more than 2,800 permanently income-restricted units.
The newly adopted zoning districts, together with the newly created Special Midtown South Mixed-Use District, will permit housing in an area with exceptional public transit access and job opportunities that has, for decades, generally prohibited housing development. Residential developments within the newly rezoned area will be subject to Mandatory Inclusionary Housing (MIH), requiring that 20-30% of the residential floor area be provided at an average of 40-80% of the area median income.
“Midtown South is home to some of our city’s most iconic parks, buildings, and businesses, but for too long, outdated zoning has stopped it from actually being a home for many New Yorkers,” said Mayor Eric Adams in a press release. “Today, we are changing that as we create a more affordable Manhattan where families can live, work, and play.”
MSMX rezones four non-contiguous areas, where high-density R11 (15 FAR) and R12 (18 FAR) zoning districts, created by City of Yes for Housing Opportunity, have been mapped for the first time.
The Southeast Quadrant, generally bounded by East 31st Street to the north, 5th Avenue to the east, East 23rd Street to the south and 6th Avenue to the west and the Southwest Quadrant, generally bounded by West 31st Street to the north, 6th Avenue to the east, East 23rd Street to the south and 7th Avenue to the west (with a two-block portion extending west to 8th Avenue), have each been rezoned to a mix of zoning districts permitting between 15 and 18 FAR of residential development and between 12 and 15 FAR of non-residential development.
The Northeast Quadrant, located on midblocks between 5th and 6th Avenues south of Bryant Park, and the Northwest Quadrant, located south of Times Square, are now mapped with zoning districts allowing up to 18 FAR of residential development and 15 FAR of non-residential development. Midblock portions of the Northwest Quadrant have been rezoned to an M1-9A zoning district, which does not permit residential development and was introduced by the City Council to protect Garment District jobs and businesses.
“The Midtown South Mixed-Use Plan means more homes, more jobs, and more investments in this transit-rich, central hub – a true win-win-win,” said Department of City Planning Director and City Planning Commission Chair Dan Garodnick.
The new Special District, which governs the four quadrants, allows floor area exemptions for the construction of public schools on qualifying sites, a floor area bonus for the provision of covered pedestrian spaces, and an extension of an existing floor area bonus for mass transit station improvements. Additional bulk regulations would create the flexibility needed for new development and help to reinforce the area’s loft character.
In addition to the approved land use actions, the MSMX plan includes more than $120 million in investments to the garment and fashion industries, more than $325 million in investments to transform Broadway between 21st and 42nd Streets into a fully pedestrianized, park-like promenade, and funding for a car-free 34th Street Busway, as well as other area-wide investments.
The Adams Administration sees MSMX as a key piece of its Manhattan Plan to increase housing production in the borough. Along with City of Yes for Housing Opportunity and the recently approved AAMUP rezoning, MSMX represents another step in the administration’s efforts to address New York City’s housing shortage. We will continue to monitor the administration’s other neighborhood initiatives, including the Jamaica Neighborhood Plan and OneLIC, as they advance through public review.
