Multi-zoned property as commercial/residential? Convert or as is?

Question

I own a two family house in the Bronx that is in a commercially zoned area.  Every other building on the street is a large tenement style building with a ground floor business (restaurants, bars, cell phone shop, bike store, etc).

1. Would it be possible to use the ground floor apartment as a commercial space, say a store or a restaurant or a bar AS IS, or would the space itself have to be altered/converted for that to be legal?  I'm imagining some type of bar/ store that is in layout of the house as my own personal business.  I see this all the time upstate and in rural areas... could this be legal in NYC?

2.  Do ground floor commercial spaces make more/less/same money as residential?  Would I be better off converting the ground floor to commercial and renting it out as a commercial space than in its current layout as an apartment?

3. Is this worth more than a regular residential property for resale purposes?  Do developers want something that is zoned commercial/residential, or is that not a factor?

The specific zoning is R6 with C2-4 overlay.

George Hermann · Answer

Hi Michael,

You really should talk to a NY Real Estate Attorney. This is probably more complicated and costly than it may look. Talk to an attorney and you'll know for sure.

Caroline Gerardo · Answer

Get out your tax bill for the parcel numbers and call the planning department  (718) 220-8500Generally they are going to have these concerns: parking available, neighbor use, noise, structural health and safety. Without seeing your property it's pretty hard to answer your question. If you are going with a bar concept you also need a license and it's expensive- if there is a school, church, or conflicting use nearby it's going to be difficult to get permits and license. What is the best use for the neighborhood? (Walking traffic counts, other complementary businesses on the street...)

Commercial use tenant generally pays more than residential.