Reply to Tony Williams takes DC Govt to task for failing downtown and budget mismanagement

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]The idea of converting office buildings to residential is not the magic bullet.  First, many if not most late 20th century office buildings are not architecturally conducive to conversion due to how the interior columns are placed, use of post-tension concrete in the slabs, etc.---all factors that make it difficult  (and very expensive) to redesign to create viable residential units.  Second, people choose to live downtown to have a short commute.  When you don't have to commute anywhere, there are lots more pleasant neighborhoods to live in around downtown DC for less money.   Thinking Connecticut Avenue, Wisconsin Ave., Dupont, Adams Morgan, Union Market, Shaw---all neighborhoods with lots of multifamily buildings and lots more in terms of amenities like restaurants, grocery stores, hardware stores, drycleaners and retail shopping.   With the office commuters gone, retail has shuttered downtown---the streets are deserted at 7 pm.  The significant amounts of mentally ill homeless and lack of foot traffic makes it feel unsafe.  So it would be expensive to convert the buildings, expensive construction equates to expensive rent, and potential renters have better choices elsewhere.  The federal workforce not returning to work is having a disastrous rippling effect on all of downtown.[/quote]
I put office conversions on the same level as industrial loft conversions in the late 90s. The main reason they were successful initially is that they offered a huge amenity, space. Sure they were initially in neighborhoods that offered few amenities at first, however they were able to entice people by offering lots of space. I’m not sure how the economics of that works out for a lot of commercial buildings right now that may still have some residual value, even if it’s substantially lower than before.

What is the amenity that they plan to offer people if the plan is to convert these large office buildings into small windowless micro studios and Jr 1-BDs? I agree that they will be a hard sell without having something special to offer people and “downtown living” is really not enough. [/quote]

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