Creative Reuse: The Opportunities and Challenges of Converting Office Space to Residential
California CRE to Expand in 2022
Across the United States, empty office buildings have become a common sight. According to Moody’s Analytics, office vacancies are at their highest since the 1990s. The COVID hangover has left us with an abundance of vacant or...more
Assembly Bill (AB) 130 and Senate Bill (SB) 131, which became effective on June 30, 2025, are designed to bring sweeping change to California housing and infrastructure development across the state. Key provisions in the...more
BOSTON—City’s First Office-to-Residential Conversion Project Begins -Construction has officially begun on Boston’s first office-to-residential apartment conversions. This effort is a part of a City pilot program aimed at...more
In another twist to Arlington’s Missing Middle saga, on July 8, 2025, the Virginia Court of Appeals set aside its ruling from two weeks earlier reinstating Arlington County’s Expanded Housing Option (EHO) ordinance and...more
For those considering state government jobs after college or graduate school, certain opportunities often come with the informal – but widely known – warning: this can be a hard job during the state’s biennial budget drafting...more
On May 28, Senate Bill 840 arrived on Texas Governor Greg Abbott’s desk after passing the Texas House and Texas Senate with bipartisan support. Authored by State Senator Bryan Hughes, the bill aims to increase the state’s...more
As part of an ongoing effort to address the affordable housing shortage, the Connecticut General Assembly has passed Senate Bill No. 1444 which is designed to facilitate the conversion of certain buildings to residential use....more
The New York City Council approved the Atlantic Avenue Mixed-Use Plan (AAMUP) on May 28, 2025. This initiative represents a significant rezoning aimed at transforming a key corridor in Central Brooklyn, which has been zoned...more
On May 28, 2025, the New York City Council approved the city-led Atlantic Avenue Mixed Use Plan (AAMUP, pronounced "aim up"), rezoning a low-density industrial stretch of Atlantic Avenue and surrounding blocks in Brooklyn’s...more
On March 20, 2025, the New York City Planning Commission (CPC) certified the city-led Jamaica Neighborhood Plan into public review. The plan would facilitate the creation of 12,000 new residential units, including...more
In a further effort to revitalize and reimagine its downtown core, San Francisco’s Board of Supervisors has passed and the Mayor has signed legislation exempting certain residential conversion projects from development impact...more
On January 21, 2025, the New York City Planning Commission (CPC) certified the city-led Midtown South Mixed-Use (MSMX) Plan into public review. The MSMX Plan is the first piece of the Adams administration’s “Manhattan Plan,”...more
On Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025, the City Planning Commission certified for public review zoning map and text amendment applications (the Proposal) that would create a new Special Midtown South Mixed-Use District (MSX Special...more
New York City Mayor Eric Adams announced in June 2022 the City of Yes zoning initiative, intended to modernize and update the City's Zoning Resolution by promoting environmental sustainability, easing restrictions on small...more
Office Use Conversions in Arlington County got a step closer as the county released draft amendments to its zoning ordinance to implement the next phase of the county's Commercial Market Resiliency Initiative (CMRI). This...more
The Live Local Act (Act), originally passed on March 29, 2023, was modified by SB328 on May 16, 2024. While the Act has been heralded as a solution to Florida’s affordable housing shortage, it has faced roadblocks since its...more
The Office of Planning (OP) has worked with Ivy City residents, community stakeholders and Washington, D.C., government agencies to develop the Ivy City Small Area Plan (ICSAP). Ivy City is a historically Black neighborhood...more
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed into law Senate Bill 102 on March 28, 2023, with an effective date of July 1, 2023. Commonly referred to as the Live Local Act (the Act), it has significant land use, zoning and tax benefits...more
In 2022, the California Legislature passed The Affordable Housing and High Road Jobs Act of 2022, known as Assembly Bill (AB) 2011 and the Middle Class Housing Act of 2022, known as Senate Bill (SB) 6. The two pieces of...more
On July 1, 2023, Senate Bill (SB) 6 (Caballero) – also known as the Middle Class Housing Act of 2022 – went into effect. Under the bill, if a project site is currently zoned for commercial retail or parking use, a developer...more
On October 6, 2022, the Framingham City Council (“Council”) voted to refer proposed amendments to the Zoning Ordinance set forth in ORDER 2022-084-001 to the Planning Board for readvertisement and hearing, which is scheduled...more
As in previous years, the California Legislature enacted a large volume of housing production laws in the 2022 session, some of which may have a significant effect on housing production in 2023. ...more
The California Legislature passed Assembly Bill (AB) 2011 (Wicks), the Affordable Housing and High Road Jobs Act of 2022, and Senate Bill (SB) 6 (Caballero), the Middle Class Housing Act of 2022, on Aug. 29, 2022. Both pieces...more
As part of its efforts to implement changes outlined in the 2021 Comprehensive Plan Update, the District of Columbia Office of Planning (OP) has undertaken multiple initiatives. These are at various stages in the planning...more
Philadelphia Zoning and Land Use Update - The Philadelphia Office of Property Assessment (OPA) has issued draft regulations for the implementation of the changes in Philadelphia’s 10-year tax abatement in 2022....more