The city spent five years streamlining approval processes and reducing fees to encourage more adaptive reuse of vacant office buildings.
A flurry of office conversion projects could bring hundreds of new housing units to downtown San Francisco, reports Nadia Lopez in Axios.
Three projects totaling around 300 units are expected to submit applications to the city this month. Reporting in the San Francisco Chronicle attributes this to a package of zoning changes, tax incentives and streamlined approvals that was designed to unlock more housing development in the city.
The city spent about five years working to address barriers to housing development, expediting approvals and reducing fees. "Officials hope to create a repeatable model for converting aging, lower-rent offices in particular — the ones that often lack the amenities of newer towers."
Read the full story: San Francisco's office-to-housing push is finally taking shape
With Zero Office Conversions in Four Years, San Francisco Pins Hopes on New Special Financing District
City leaders hope the new incentive will spur the redevelopment of some of the city’s 30,000 square feet of vacant office space into housing.
Manhattan Office-to-Apartment Conversions Doubled in 2024
Thanks in part to recent zoning changes, a record number of office space is being converted to housing in the city’s former business districts.
Texas Bill Supports Adaptive Reuse in Commercial Areas
Senate Bill 840, which was preliminarily approved by the state House, would allow residential construction in areas previously zoned for offices and commercial uses.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
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Developers sue Mississippi landowners who object to pipeline through their land
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A gas leak in NYC is costing residents $300 million
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CA officials have the power to fix the state’s riskiest dams. They’ve never used it
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FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
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