Turning empty offices into new homes

Not a week goes by without a discussion of New York City’s worsening housing crisis. Experts have stressed that we must produce more than half a million new apartments by 2030. And here in the City Council, not a day goes by without hearing from our constituents who struggle to find new housing opportunities or live affordably in the neighborhoods they call home.

I’m proud of the work that many of my Council colleagues and I have done in response to this crisis, as we fight to protect tenants and say “Yes” to new housing construction in our districts. But the unfortunate reality is that we can only achieve so much with city policy.

Further action at the state level — along with zoning changes at the city level — will be needed to unlock more of the affordable housing production that New Yorkers desperately need. Until that time, we will continue to confront our housing shortage with outdated laws and zoning rules that, in some cases, have not been updated for well over a half century.

One key area in which city and state elected officials can partner this year is the effort to convert New York City’s unused office space into affordable housing. This won’t be a silver bullet to solving the housing crisis. But utilizing conversions to increase housing supply, particularly in parts of Midtown Manhattan that have not historically produced much new housing, can help us make a serious dent in the city’s affordability challenges.

Better yet, delivering tens of thousands of new homes in the Manhattan core can help relieve some of the gentrification pressure on districts like mine in the Bronx, where such pressure has intensified due to the city’s housing shortage. Additionally, outside of Manhattan there are opportunities for conversions within my own district in the South Bronx, was well as in other areas outside Manhattan such as the Bronx Hub, Downtown Brooklyn and Long Island City, which could bring new affordable housing directly to the low-income communities of color that have been impacted by gentrification over the past several decades.

We now have a roadmap for making this all happen.

The Department of City Planning’s Office Adaptive Reuse Task Force, which was convened by Mayor Adams following legislation by my colleague Councilman Justin Brannan, recently released a report with recommendations for enabling more conversions.

For example, the Task Force recommended changing state law and the city zoning resolution to allow office buildings constructed before 1991 to use the most flexible regulations for converting to residential use. According to the report, such changes could provide more than 120 million square feet of office space with an easier path to conversion, which could in turn produce approximately 20,000 new apartments to house 40,000 New Yorkers.

The Task Force also emphasized that the current restriction on residential floor area ratio (FAR) under state law makes it impractical to convert many buildings that otherwise qualify. By eliminating the 12 FAR cap, the state can make it easier to increase much-needed housing density in New York City — particularly around transit hubs — while also unlocking more opportunities for conversions.

Additionally, the Task Force recommended pursuing a tax incentive to support the creation of affordable housing as part of mixed-income conversion projects. We need to be realistic on this part and understand that offering an incentive will likely be the difference between ending up with entirely market rate housing conversions or locking in significant levels of affordability. And, of course, any affordable housing must remain permanently affordable for future generations.

There is certainly much work to do. The good news for now is that, unlike in prior administrations, the mayor and governor appear to be on the same page on this issue.

Many of us in the Council were excited that Gov. Hochul declared in her recent State of the State Address that she is committed to taking steps such as enabling more conversions and lifting the 12 FAR cap. Her remarks, along with the mayor’s unveiling of the Task Force recommendations, have provided a real launch pad for the Legislature and City Council to collaborate moving forward.

The question now is whether we can work together to turn this policy roadmap from vision into reality. Can we stand up for much-needed affordable housing, and for all the good-paying jobs and new community investment that comes with it, by finally taking action to turn vacant office buildings into homes for our fellow New Yorkers?

I believe we can. I look forward to working with my Council colleagues and our counterparts in the Legislature to get it done.