Cities cut red tape to turn unused office buildings into housing

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

Nearly a fifth of office space across the country sits empty, a record high vacancy rate that’s expected to keep growing.

Seeking both to boost their economies and ease their housing shortages, cities are taking steps to encourage the conversion of unused office space into much-needed housing. They include reductions in approval times, exemptions from affordable housing rules and changes in building code requirements. Some cities and states also are providing tax incentives or subsidies to developers.

“Cities need to focus on making conversions feasible by removing unnecessary regulatory barriers,” said Alex Horowitz, project director of the Housing Policy Initiative at The Pew Charitable Trusts.

“The U.S. is short millions of homes, and office vacancy rates are at record highs. It makes all the sense in the world to convert underused commercial space into housing, but the cost per square foot is just too high.”

https://washingtonstatestandard.com/2024/11/25/cities-cut-red-tape-to-turn-unused-office-buildings-into-housing/

[FirstLight]

1. well, duh.

Sometimes I swear, the obvious solutions take years to find their way into action...

Same with empty MALLS...

[haele]

2. Means hiring more people. Building codes are important.

You don't want to skimp on fire, electrical, or plumbing codes to rush housing through.
Approval time is a factor, true - but so is health and safety. An electrical fire in a cheap high rise office conversion where corners have been cut just to get quick housing could kill hundreds instead the potential few in a high rise building built to standardapartment code.
Some regulations might seem like BS, but offices are not made the same as apartments, and you still need inspectors at milestones to ensure at least a minimum safety level is being maintained. Especially when converting open plan cubicle farms into 2 and 3 bedroom family housing.
Starting off with empty malls and lower level (5 stories or fewer) storefronts would be easier and less risky if you're planning to "optimize" on code and regulations to hasten the conversion process.

Just saying.

Haele

[thatdemguy]

3. I do the electrical work in apartment buildings

Currently pricing the conversion of two office buildings in to a senior apartment complex.

If anything they are making it harder to convert them. The one I am sending in the price today for I first looked at in early '22. Two years of code studies, 2 years of drawing changes, two years of price increases. The fire alarm along doubled in price due to what fairfax county va wants.

I am just glad the work is not in DC, we are at about 100k in theft losses this year, including about 9k last week and this is just from 2 jobs.

[DeepWinter]

5. Yep

Most people think converting from a commercial building to a residential building should be super easy. It's not when you follow city code. And it's not cheap or fast at all.

And there's no theft problems right? "Crime is down" according to the social scholars. Tell that to Contractors.

[bronxiteforever]

6. Social scholars? Do you prefer anti social scholars?

[EdmondDantes_]

7. Even ignoring code issues, there's lots of issues

Just the plumbing if you want every residence to have a bathroom and kitchen is rough. Maybe you make it more communal with those being in central areas, but then there's the lack of windows.

It can and should be done, but it will need a lot of funding to do the retrofitting. Probably still ecologically better than tearing down unused buildings to put in condos/apartments.

[Darwins_Retriever]

4. What about shopping centers

Most have been abandoned. Great amount of space available that can be divided into apartments. Parking lots can be broken up for a nice park.

[Arazi]

8. Just as deportations of construction workers will be peaking

[maxsolomon]

9. That industry, like agriculture and meat processing, will collectively bend the knee to Trump

and his Deportation Force will magically be directed elsewhere.