Hotel Conversion

Aerial view of residential buildings in Koreatown, Los Angeles with downtown skyline in background

How L.A. Failed to Stop Landlords From Turning Low-Cost Housing Into Tourist Hotels

Fifteen years ago, Los Angeles passed a law to preserve residential hotels as housing of last resort. Now, amid the homelessness crisis, Capital & Main and ProPublica found some hotels may be violating that law by offering rooms to tourists.

September 21, 2023 - Shelterforce Magazine

Close-up of top of ornate Art Deco blue tile Eastern building in downtown Los Angeles

Easing Regulations for Adaptive Reuse

Cities with ordinances aimed at making commercial-to-residential conversions easier are reaping the benefits.

September 12, 2023 - Route Fifty

REndering of two-story white supportive housing building converted from a former hmotel

Orange County Motel Converted to Supportive Housing

The renovated building offers 57 housing units and supportive services to people formerly experiencing homelessness.

May 28, 2023 - The Orange County Register

White multistory Hilton Hotel in Queens, New York

First Hotel Conversion to Begin in New York

A pandemic-era program designed to streamline the conversion of hotels into housing stalled, with the first project just now making its way through the pipeline.

May 5, 2023 - The New York Times

Aerial view of Chattanooga, Tennessee

Chattanooga Plans to Convert Hotel to Supportive Housing

At a recent meeting, the city’s mayor urged the city council to support the effort to repurpose a derelict hotel into a permanent supportive housing complex.

October 13, 2022 - Chattanooga Times Free Press

View of New York City street with yellow cabs and purple and red brick apartment buildings in background

New York Hotels to Housing Program at a Standstill

The much-vaunted pledge to turn vacant hotel rooms into supportive housing units has failed to materialize as hoteliers see tourism rebound and developers find regulations too onerous and expensive.

September 20, 2022 - Politico

A closeup of rows of buildings lined by old fashioned windows in New York City.

One Year, Zero Conversions: New York Revamps its Hotels-to-Housing Program

The Housing Our Neighbors with Dignity Act (HONDA) was intended to convert dormant hotels into sorely needed housing. So far the law hasn’t worked as intended.

June 22, 2022 - CityLimits

Vacant, shuttered motel

New York Law Eases Hotel Conversions

A state law signed by Governor Kathy Hochul loosens zoning restrictions to encourage the conversion of underutilized hotels into housing.

June 9, 2022 - Press Office, Governor of New York State

Yellow and black motel sign

Northwoods Motels Revived as Housing

As more vacationers opt for private lake homes or rental cabins, developers in northern Wisconsin are converting motels into badly needed worker housing.

June 5, 2022 - WXPR

Facade of Cecil Hotel, Los Angeles

How Adaptive Reuse Can Ease the Housing Crisis

An analysis of Los Angeles properties found that the city could make a significant impact on its housing shortage by converting commercial buildings to housing.

April 7, 2022 - LAist

New York City Air Conditioners

New York Lags Behind California in Converting Hotels to Affordable Housing

While the Golden State has awarded $800 million in funds for 'Project Roomkey,' a bill passed by the New York State Senate languishes in the governor's office.

July 16, 2021 - Bloomberg CityLab

Downtown Detroit

How Easy Is it to Repurpose Offices into Apartments?

Adaptive reuse is a hot concept, but regulatory and financial hurdles have made it slow to catch on in practice.

April 28, 2021 - Slate

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