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Other cities say they are not adding scrutiny to office conversions
In Washington, D.C., officials say 1,900 apartments have already been created from office buildings, with another 1,800 under construction.
Scrutiny of office-to-residential conversions has intensified after New York City officials deemed a major project at risk of collapsing and issued stop-work orders for additional buildings, but officials in other markets say they are not responding with a broader escalation of oversight. Bisnow reports that New York has the most conversion activity under construction, while places that have embraced adaptive reuse have indicated their inspection systems can handle the growing pipeline.
In Washington, D.C., the Department of Buildings director, Brian Hanlon, said the agency has not stepped up additional scrutiny. He said the D.C. metropolitan area has the most conversions outside New York, with 1,900 apartments created from former office buildings and another 1,800 units under construction.
Chicago, Dallas, and Denver, which are among the leaders in planned conversions, also expressed confidence in their existing inspection processes and staffing capacity as the number of projects has expanded in recent years. Bisnow notes that these projects can be complex, including major structural modifications.
The article cites the former Pfizer headquarters in Midtown Manhattan, where MetroLoft Management added 15 floors to a tower more than 60 years old, and where buckling was reported after July 7, leading to evacuations and temporary block closures. Bisnow says the city is still investigating the cause, and it adds that work remains halted while the project’s structural engineer previously stated that structural supports included in the building plans were never installed.