NYC's best shot at affordable housing has hit some roadblocks
NYC's strategy to convert vacant office buildings into residential housing is facing significant safety and structural challenges. Recent stop-work orders at several major conversion sites have highlighted the high costs and technical difficulties of these projects.
Why it matters
Urban housing shortages are a critical issue, and the failure of office-to-residential conversions could undermine efforts to revitalize city centers and increase housing supply.
Vacant office buildings are one of NYC's main options to boost housing supply. Gary Hershorn/Getty Images Several NYC office-to-apartments conversions faced safety issues this summer. Retrofitting plumbing, windows, and floor plans for housing is costly and complicated. To solve the supply shortage, conversions are here to stay. Office-to-residential conversions — one of New York City's leading housing strategies — have been shaken by recent safety concerns. This summer, a "stop work" order was issued for the former Pfizer building in Midtown due to structural issues with steel columns, prompting fears of a collapse and temporary evacuation of the surrounding area. A lower Manhattan conversion at 222 Broadway was briefly halted over reports of a cracked horizontal concrete beam, and a Midtown East conversion — 750 Third Avenue — was partially stopped, also because of problems with steel columns.
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