The Challenge of Adaptive Reuse

"Here at City Hall, we're well aware of the challenges that small businesses face when trying to remodel an existing building into a new use. It can be quite difficult to update a building and improve a site from decades past into a contemporary use that meets current development codes. Time and again, we encountered small-business owners who had invested time and financial resources into buying or leasing older or historic buildings, only to discover that the buildings they selected could not easily be converted to their intended purpose without adding substantial costs and time to the project. We wanted to find ways to help these small-business owners realize their vision and achieve success in the neighborhoods they'd chosen. By studying best practices and consulting with small business owners, artists, cultural, neighborhood and community organizations, we developed an adaptive reuse pilot program for downtown-area buildings that were up to 2,500 square feet in size and at least 25 years of age."