New York City has a new Office Conversion Accelerator Team that provides a single point of contact within city government to help speed office-to-residential conversions.
Projects that create 50 or more housing units from office buildings are eligible for this new program. The program will assist owners with analyzing the zoning feasibility of individual conversion projects and help to secure necessary permits.
The city’s team will include personnel from the Department of City Planning, the Department of Buildings, the Department of Housing Preservation & Development, the Board of Standards & Appeals, and the Landmarks Preservation Commission. “Property owners of existing office buildings can seek the interagency team’s help to identify barriers to conversion and expedite pathways to overcome those barriers,” according to a city news release.
The creation of this team was recommended by an adaptive reuse study released by the city earlier this year. The study also advocated for rezoning to allow more conversions in mid-town Manhattan, parts of Queens, and the Bronx.
Mayor Eric Adams earlier this year said an area of midtown that stretches from Chelsea through the Garment District can create some 20,000 housing units through conversions.
Related Stories
Mixed-Use | Dec 6, 2022
Houston developer plans to convert Kevin Roche-designed ConocoPhillips HQ to mixed-use destination
Houston-based Midway, a real estate investment, development, and management firm, plans to redevelop the former ConocoPhillips corporate headquarters site into a mixed-use destination called Watermark District at Woodcreek.
Multifamily Housing | Nov 29, 2022
Number of office-to-apartment conversion projects has jumped since start of pandemic
As remote work rose and demand for office space declined since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, developers have found converting some offices to residential use to be an attractive option. Apartment conversions rose 25% in the two years since the start of the pandemic, with 28,000 new units converted from other property types, according to a report from RentCafe.
Multifamily Housing | Aug 17, 2022
California strip mall goes multifamily residential
Tiny Tim Plaza started out as a gas station and a dozen or so stores. Now it’s a thriving mixed-use community, minus the gas station.
Urban Planning | Jul 19, 2022
The EV charger station market is appealing to investors and developers, large and small
The latest entry, The StackCharge, is designed to make recharging time seem shorter.
Adaptive Reuse | May 18, 2022
An auto plant in Detroit to get a retread as mixed-use housing
Fisher 21 Lofts could be the largest minority-led redevelopment in the city’s history.
Industrial Facilities | Apr 1, 2022
Robust demand strains industrial space supply
JLL’s latest report finds a shift toward much larger buildings nearer urban centers, which fetch higher rents.
Healthcare Facilities | Mar 25, 2022
Health group converts bank building to drive-thru clinic
Edward-Elmhurst Health and JTS Architects had to get creative when turning an American Chartered Bank into a drive-thru clinic for outpatient testing and vaccinations.
Adaptive Reuse | Dec 16, 2021
An adaptive reuse of a historic building in San Francisco was worth the wait
A five-year-long project included extensive restoration.
Adaptive Reuse | Nov 1, 2021
CallisonRTKL explores converting decommissioned cruise ships for housing
The rapid increase in cruise ship decommissioning during the last 18 months has created a unique opportunity to innovate and adapt these large ships.
Multifamily Housing | Oct 21, 2021
Chicago’s historic Lathrop public housing complex gets new life as mixed-income community
A revitalized New Deal–era public housing community in Chicago brings the Garden City movement of yesteryear into the 21st century.
