ZAC Michael Zenreich Joins NYC Office Adaptive Reuse Task Force

As Dan Garodnick wrote in New York City's "Office Adaptive Reuse Study," published in January 2023, the "City’s success has long been due to the ability of our people and economy to adapt to a constantly changing world" (PDF).

ZAC Vice President Michael Zenreich was the Speaker of the NYC Council appointee to the Task Force, and collaborated with a team of twelve architecture, development, economics, finance, law, public policy, and tenant advocacy experts to conduct 26 practitioner interviews and utilize other research methods to explore how to repurpose existing buildings for alternative uses. The report he co-authored made the following recommendations:

• Expand the Range of Buildings Eligible for the Most Flexible Conversion Regulations

• Make Existing Conversion Regulations Work Better

• Provide Financial Incentives for Affordable Housing and Childcare Facilities
  

As our important commercial districts evolve in response to the COVID-19 pandemic last two years, the Task Force worked to ensure outdated office buildings can be converted to more in-demand uses, such as homes for New Yorkers. Their guidelines to make it easier to repurpose office buildings for alternative uses are mindful of stabilizing the office market and ensuring NYC's our business districts remain vibrant, while simultaneously making a dent in the City’s decades-long housing crisis. The recommendations outlined in the Task Force's report are a result of a five-month process.

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