Despite city and state incentives, officials expect the program will result in a modest number of new housing units.

A new Seattle city law reduces development requirements for office-to-residential conversion projects, reports Ysabelle Kempe in Smart Cities Dive.
Average residential rents grew by 32 percent between 2012 and 2022, while Seattle’s office vacancy rate jumped to 25 percent earlier this year, up from 5 percent in 2019. “The law, signed by Mayor Bruce Harrell on Thursday, allows developers who convert buildings to housing to skirt design development standards and avoid requirements to include affordable housing.”
The city’s Office of Planning and Community Development says it expects the law will result in ‘less that a dozen’ projects over the next seven years that could produce 1,000 to 2,000 housing units due to the challenges of adaptive reuse.
Goals of the adaptive reuse program, according to the city, include a “more balanced use mix of housing and commercial uses in downtown,” avoiding long periods of building vacancy, and the revitalization of downtown neighborhoods.
FULL STORY: Seattle encourages office-to-residential conversions with new law

Trump Administration Could Effectively End Housing Voucher Program
Federal officials are eyeing major cuts to the Section 8 program that helps millions of low-income households pay rent.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

The 120 Year Old Tiny Home Villages That Sheltered San Francisco’s Earthquake Refugees
More than a century ago, San Francisco mobilized to house thousands of residents displaced by the 1906 earthquake. Could their strategy offer a model for the present?

Washington State Legislature Passes Parking Reform Bill
A bill that would limit parking requirements for new developments is headed to the governor’s desk.

Missouri Law Would Ban Protections for Housing Voucher Users
A state law seeks to overturn source-of-income discrimination bans passed by several Missouri cities.

Op-Ed: Looking for Efficiency? Fund Intercity Buses
Much less expensive than rail, intercity buses serve millions of Americans every year, but public subsidies are lacking.
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