A pandemic-era program designed to streamline the conversion of hotels into housing stalled, with the first project just now making its way through the pipeline.

A $150-million proposed conversion of a Hilton hotel near Kennedy International Airport is set to be the first project under the state’s hotel-to-housing conversion program, which was created during the tourism slump of the pandemic as one way to address the city’s growing housing crisis but, one year later, failed to lead to any new housing units.
Although the program was designed to help create more housing quickly, Mihir Zaveri explains in The New York Times, “Developers claimed it would not do enough to help them overcome onerous regulations, and that the $200 million attached to the program was not enough to compensate for development costs on a large scale.”
According to Zaveri, “Of the 318 total units, roughly 60 percent are slated for people struggling with homelessness. The remaining units would target lower-income households — those earning up to $107,000 for a family of four, for example — with rents of about $1,250 for a one-bedroom apartment and $1,500 for a two bedroom.”
The Hilton project is slated for completion in two years, during which the developers will make renovations to rooms, heating systems, and other components. “About $48 million of the $150 million will come from the state program, initially created in 2021 by the Housing Our Neighbors with Dignity Act.”
FULL STORY: New York City Will Finally Turn a Hotel Into Housing

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.

San Antonio Remains Affordable as City Grows
The city’s active efforts to keep housing costs down through housing reforms and coordinated efforts among city agencies and developers have kept it one of the most affordable in the nation despite its rapid population growth.

What Forest Service Cuts Mean for Cities
U.S. Forest Service employees work on projects that have impacts far beyond remote, rural wilderness areas.

North Texas Transit Leaders Tout Benefits of TOD for Growing Region
At a summit focused on transit-oriented development, policymakers discussed how North Texas’ expanded light rail system can serve as a tool for economic growth.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Heyer Gruel & Associates PA
City of Moreno Valley
Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)
City of Grandview
Harvard GSD Executive Education
Salt Lake City
NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service
City of Cambridge, Maryland