Empty NYC Offices Would Become 20K Homes Under Mayor's Newest Plan

NEW YORK CITY — New York City's newest housing crisis plan would convert empty offices into 20,000 new homes, Mayor Eric Adams announced Thursday.

The mayor proposed rewriting zoning rules to allow 163 million square feet — which he noted is roughly the size of Philadelphia — of empty office space into housing, he said.

"It's time to get out of the way," Adams said, "so we can turn these office cubicles into nice living quarters."

About 40,000 New Yorkers could get new homes in the next decade through the mayor's office space plan, officials said.

Adams has set a housing "moonshot" goal of building 500,000 new homes in the next decade. And part of his plan hinged on support from state lawmakers in passing housing reforms.

But those lawmakers failed to take action on legislation to facilitate office conversions with affordable housing during the 2023 session, officials said.

Their inaction prompted Adams' plan, which would use the city's land review process to change zoning citywide, officials said.

The proposed change would make buildings erected before 1990 eligible to convert to housing, , according to City Hall.

It would also allow non-residential buildings to convert to housing anywhere in the city where housing is permitted, officials said.

The plan outlined also includes creating an Office Conversion Accelerator to speed up those complex projects and kicking off a Midtown South community planning process.

New regulations will also allow offices to turn into supportive housing, dorms and shared housing, Adams said.

Deputy Mayor Maria Torres-Springer said offices that have been empty since the pandemic — a growing concern for city officials and business leaders — can find new uses.

"Sometimes one problem can help solve another," she said