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OCedHrt t1_j6h7sw5 wrote

Reply to comment by sabre_rider in Google mobility data shows San Francisco metro area led the nation in avoiding the office in 2022 by marketrent

All the offices can become apartments.

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danielravennest t1_j6ithqg wrote

It would require significant renovation. Office buildings don't generally have private bathrooms and kitchens, and large ones don't have many windows per person.

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B0BsLawBlog t1_j6iydw4 wrote

Yeah it rarely works.

You could convert a hotel or two, and change zoning to allow future builds near/in the area to get housing not office.

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danielravennest t1_j6j8x4i wrote

I haven't run the numbers on basic water, sewer, and electricity needs for residential vs office per square foot, but I would not be surprised if they were different.

In principle you can strip a building down to the bare walls and floors, and redo all the internal systems, but at some point it becomes cheaper to demolish and start over.

There are mixed-use towers in come cities. Trump Tower in Manhattan is an infamous example. Street level +/- 1 or 2 floors is retail, then office space above that, then apartments on top. But it was planned and built that way from the start.

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