NEW YORK (PIX11) — In an effort to combat the housing crisis in New York City, Mayor Eric Adams unveiled a new plan Thursday to convert vacant office buildings into housing.
A much-needed proposal, according to the mayor, that would help create thousands of new homes. New York City’s “office conversion accelerator” program will help the city reach Adams’ goal to create 20,000 new homes.
There is an additional 136 million square feet of underutilized vacant offices that could be a place for people to live, according to the mayor.
The Adams administration also announced the “Midtown South Mixed-Use Neighborhood Plan,” which is a community planning process, that will update zoning rules to foster a neighborhood in the area between 23rd Street and 40th Street from Fifth Avenue to Eighth Avenue.
“We are ready to deliver smart zoning changes that will throw a lifeline to underused office buildings and create much-needed housing in the process,” said DCP Director Dan Garodnick. “‘[This] will play an important part in delivering a more affordable, prosperous city.”
