Adaptive Reuse

Housing Element Program HE-1

Adaptive reuse is the process of converting buildings that have outlived their original purpose to accommodate new uses. Commonly used to revitalize historic structures, adaptive reuse has become more attractive nationwide in response to high commercial vacancy rates and the need for housing.

Staff proposes streamlined zoning to simplify and encourage change-in-use from nonresidential to residential in the adaptive reuse ordinance. The proposed changes would make converting nonresidential buildings to residential use as easy as converting from one nonresidential use to another, thus facilitating housing development in zones where both types of uses are allowed. Zoning reforms would involve changes to certain development standards, with many to remain unchanged.

An adaptive reuse ordinance was discussed with Planning Commission in November 2021, and recently as a topic in front of City Council and Planning Commission at a Joint Work Session in July 2024.