Many urban cores around the country are faced with increasing office vacancies concurrently with a housing affordability crisis caused, at least in part, by a lack of supply. D.C. is particularly primed for a wave of adaptive reuse.
Josh Niland writes for Archinect: “Through the doldrums of America’s pandemic-triggered office downturn, the nation’s capital is quickly turning into a case study for the conversion of former commercial spaces into residential housing and mixed-use development.”
Niland’s assessment of the adaptive reuse market in the nation’s capital cites a number of sources, including a July article in the Washingtonian by Marisa M. Kashino that surveys various adaptive reuse projects (which Niland refers to as office conversions).
D.C.'s Deputy Mayor for Planning and Development, John Falcicchio, told Kashino that adaptive reuse can be useful for creating a 24-7 feel—especially in Downtown D.C. “We need to do [adaptive reuse] to save downtown,” says Falcicchio. “The only way to do that is to have a better mix of uses.”
Also cited is a 2019 report by the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments indicating that the D.C. area needs to add 325,000 units before the end of the decade to keep pace with demand. The Lincoln Property Company estimated in spring 2022 that Washington, D.C. has an estimated 157.9 million square feet of rentable office space—a prime target for prospective developers.
Finally, Niland also references an article by Marissa J. Lang for the Washington Post from December 2021 when D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser announced a new plan to spur adaptive reuse of vacant office buildings by “gathering input from current and prospective property owners on what they would need to consider transforming office structures into residences.”
Previous Planetizen coverage of adaptive reuse in the post-pandemic era (a Planetizen trend to watch in 2021):
FULL STORY: D.C. steps up office-to-residential conversions in the face of housing shortage
Surveying the Rising Trend of Office-to-Residential Conversions
With office vacancies climbing and a stubborn supply crunch driving up the cost of housing, some downtowns have emerged at the forefront of a new wave of adaptive reuse.
Former DC Army Garage Gets New Life
The fortress-like underground structure posed unique challenges to engineers redeveloping a former U.S. Army complex.
Mall Redevelopment in Silicon Valley
Dead malls across the Bay Area are being transformed into R&D centers, housing, and transportation hubs.
Manufactured Crisis: Losing the Nation’s Largest Source of Unsubsidized Affordable Housing
Manufactured housing communities have long been an affordable housing option for millions of people living in the U.S., but that affordability is disappearing rapidly. How did we get here?
Americans May Be Stuck — But Why?
Americans are moving a lot less than they once did, and that is a problem. While Yoni Applebaum, in his highly-publicized article Stuck, gets the reasons badly wrong, it's still important to ask: why are we moving so much less than before?
Using Old Oil and Gas Wells for Green Energy Storage
Penn State researchers have found that repurposing abandoned oil and gas wells for geothermal-assisted compressed-air energy storage can boost efficiency, reduce environmental risks, and support clean energy and job transitions.
Updating LA’s Tree Rules Could Bring More Shade to Underserved Neighborhoods
A new USC study finds that relaxing Los Angeles’ outdated tree planting guidelines could significantly expand urban tree canopy and reduce shade disparities in lower-income neighborhoods, though infrastructure investments are also needed.
California's Canal Solar Projects Aim to Conserve Resources and Expand Clean Energy
California’s Project Nexus has begun generating electricity from solar panels installed over irrigation canals, with researchers and state agencies exploring statewide expansion to conserve water and boost clean energy production.
HHS Staff Cuts Gut Energy Assistance Program
The full staff of a federal program that distributes heating and cooling assistance for low-income families was laid off, jeopardizing the program’s operations.
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