flexiblefullpage -
billboard - default
interstitial1 - interstitial
catfish1 - bottom
Currently Reading

New York City creates team to accelerate office-to-residential conversions

Adaptive Reuse

New York City creates team to accelerate office-to-residential conversions

This "one-stop shop" for developers will help firms navigate red tape and obtain permits for adaptive-reuse projects.


By Peter Fabris, Contributing Editor  | August 31, 2023
Photo by Fernando Gonzalez

Photo by Fernando Gonzalez

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

Adaptive Reuse | Jun 4, 2018

Pop-up retail market on Chicago’s Randolph Street will be made of repurposed shipping containers

Related Midwest will open the market at 725 W. Randolph St. later this week.

Adaptive Reuse | May 7, 2018

A decade after it debuted, Beijing’s 798 Arts District is still a work in progress

China’s third-most-popular tourist attraction remains a magnet for creative tenants.

Adaptive Reuse | Apr 26, 2018

Edison Lofts building is New Jersey’s largest non-waterfront adaptive reuse project

Minno & Wasko Architects & Planners designed the building.

Adaptive Reuse | Mar 8, 2018

LEED Platinum for Memphis industrial reuse project

Memphis-based engineering firm OGCB and contractor Grinder Tabor Grinder led the removal of 54 million lb of concrete and 10 million lb of metal.

Multifamily Housing | Feb 27, 2018

Victorian era gasholders become modern residences in London

The new residences are part of the King’s Cross redevelopment scheme.

Education Facilities | Jan 8, 2018

Three former school buildings are repurposed to create mini-campus for teacher education

The $25.3 million project is currently under construction on the Winona State University campus.

Adaptive Reuse | Jan 4, 2018

Student housing development on Chapman University campus includes adaptive reuse of 1918 packing house

The Packing House was originally built for the Santiago Orange Growers Association.

Adaptive Reuse | Dec 11, 2017

Detroit's economic improvement a boon to its hotel sector

Detroit Foundation, a stylish boutique hotel, is the Motor City’s newest hospitality venue.

Adaptive Reuse | Nov 29, 2017

‘Eat-ertainment’ establishment grants abandoned air traffic control building a second life

The concept’s design reflects the golden age of flight.

Adaptive Reuse | Nov 10, 2017

Austin’s first indoor shopping mall becomes Austin Community College’s new digital media center

Renovation of the defunct mall represents Phase 2 of ACC’s $100 million adaptive reuse project.

boombox1 - default
boombox2 -
native1 -

More In Category




MFPRO+ Special Reports

Top 10 trends in affordable housing

Among affordable housing developers today, there’s one commonality tying projects together: uncertainty. AEC firms share their latest insights and philosophies on the future of affordable housing in BD+C's 2023 Multifamily Annual Report.

halfpage1 -

Most Popular Content

  1. 2021 Giants 400 Report
  2. Top 150 Architecture Firms for 2019
  3. 13 projects that represent the future of affordable housing
  4. Sagrada Familia completion date pushed back due to coronavirus
  5. Top 160 Architecture Firms 2021