Pedestrians cross a street, Tuesday, July 11, 2023, in downtown Boston. The city is hoping a new program will encourage the conversion of underused downtown office buildings into residential use by offering building owners tax incentives. The push mirrors office-to-housing conversion efforts in other cities trying to breathe life back into downtown business districts that emptied out during the coronavirus pandemic and may never fully recover.
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Boston is launching a new program designed to offer tax incentives to encourage the conversion of underused downtown office buildings into residential use. The push mirrors office-to-housing conversion efforts in other cities trying to breathe life back into downtown business districts that emptied out during the coronavirus pandemic and may never fully recover. Boston Mayor Michelle Wu says a single building could potentially create hundreds of new housing units that could include affordable units. Wu acknowledges the costs associated with turning an office building into a residential building but said there may be some building owners feeling enough of an economic pinch to try.