With Midtown Manhattan’s office towers drastically under-occupied as employees work from home during the COVID-19 pandemic, some housing advocates foresee new uses for these spaces.
A study by commercial broker CBRE found that only 10% of Manhattan workers have returned to the office as of Sept. 18. If the number of workers to return to an office setting after the pandemic abates remains significantly lower than it was before the pandemic, these spaces could be a solution to the housing shortage.
Housing advocates would like to see vacant offices converted into new residential projects, especially for affordable housing. Such a movement would require zoning reform and could be accelerated with targeted policy initiatives.
The city already has an example of this concept being implemented in the mid-1990s. The 421-g program, a series of tax breaks for commercial-to-residential conversions, was used to revitalize Lower Manhattan.
Related Stories
Codes and Standards | Sep 16, 2016
Calm weather tidal flooding impacting several communities on East and Gulf Coasts
Local officials face the prospect of costly mitigation projects.
Codes and Standards | Sep 15, 2016
OSHA appoints new director for its construction directorate
The forty-year industry veteran has been a GC and business owner.
Energy | Sep 13, 2016
Oberlin College to hold conference on post-fossil fuel economy
The gathering will address climate change and new sources of energy.
Industry Research | Sep 12, 2016
Evidence linking classroom design to improved learning mounts
A study finds the impact can be as much as 25% per year.
Legislation | Sep 8, 2016
Half of U.S. states now allow design-build on public projects
Missouri is the latest to enact design-build legislation.
Codes and Standards | Sep 8, 2016
Vapor intrusion risk addressed in new ASTM guide update
The updates address industry confusion over how to handle the issue.
BIM and Information Technology | Sep 7, 2016
Energy Star Portfolio Manager tool updated to factor in waste management
The costs and benefits of managing 29 types of waste are now included.
Wood | Sep 6, 2016
Atlanta suburb prohibits wood-framed construction for high rises
The new building code prevents any structure with more than three stories from being built from a CLT frame.
Codes and Standards | Sep 1, 2016
Overuse of air conditioning hurts office productivity
A study found temperatures in the low 70s reduce worker performance.
Regulations | Aug 31, 2016
FEMA wants to toughen flood regulation on projects using federal funds
The proposal ‘would essentially rewrite the current 100-year flood standard.’