C2 districts are mapped as commercial overlays within residence districts. They are mapped along streets that serve the local retail needs of the surrounding residential neighborhood.

Typical retail uses include grocery stores, restaurants and beauty parlors, catering to the immediate neighborhood. C2 districts permit a slightly wider range of uses than in C1, such as funeral homes and repair services. In mixed residential/commercial buildings, commercial uses are limited to one or two floors and must always be located below the residential use.

C2-4 is a commercial overlay district with a depth of 100 feet. These districts are largely found in throughout the city's lower and medium-density districts.

Overlay districts are distinct from other commercial districts in that residential bulk is governed by the residence district within which the overlay is mapped. All other commercial districts that permit residential use are assigned a specific residential district equivalent.

When residences are constructed in any commercial district, certain regulations that apply in residence districts are waived, such as front and side yard requirements.

C2-4 overlays mapped in R1 through R5 districts have a maximum commercial FAR of 1.0. When mapped in R6 through R10 districts, however, the maximum commercial FAR is 2.0.

Commercial parking requirements are highly complex, reflecting traffic-generating qualities of the various commercial uses, their size and proximity to mass transit. Generally, the lower the numerical suffix, the more off-street parking is required in a particular district.

Although the R5B district permits detached and semi-detached buildings, it's 1.35 FAR typically produces three-story row houses. The traditional character of R5B districts is reflected in the district's height and setback, front yard and curb cut regulations.

The district has a maximum street wall height of 30 feet, above which the building slopes or is set back to a maximum building height of 33 feet. The front yard must be at least five feet deep and it must be at least as deep as one adjacent front yard but no deeper than the other, to a maximum depth of 20 feet. Attached row houses do not require side yards, but there must be a least eight feet between the end buildings in a row and buildings on adjacent zoning lots.

Parking is waived for one-and two-family homes and curb cuts are prohibited on zoning lots less than 40 feet wide. Where parking is required, on-site spaces must be provided for two-thirds of the dwelling units.

R6B districts are often traditional row house districts, designed to preserve the scale and harmonious streetscape of neighborhoods developed during the 19th century with four-story attached buildings. Many of these houses are set back from the street by the stoops and small front yards that are typical of Brooklyn's "brownstone" neighborhoods.

The FAR of 2.0 and the mandatory Quality Housing regulations also accommodate apartment buildings at a similar four- to five-story scale. The base height of a new building before setback must be between 30 and 40 feet; the maximum building height is 50 feet. To maintain the traditional streetscape, curb cuts are prohibited on lots narrower than 40 feet and the front wall of a new building , on any lot up to 50 feet wide, must be as deep as one adjacent front wall but no deeper than the other.

Off-street parking is not allowed in front of a building and the area between the front wall and the street line must be landscaped. Parking is required for 50% of dwelling units, or waived if five or fewer spaces are required.