this post was submitted on 28 Oct 2023
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[–] autotldr@lemmings.world 6 points 2 years ago

This is the best summary I could come up with:


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Joe Biden's administration has come up with a plan it thinks can help address the housing crisis: encouraging developers to turn unwanted office buildings into apartments.

Converting offices to residential properties can be challenging due to the expense of refitting, as well as complying with zoning laws and other regulations.

But the White House initiative will make more than $35 billion available from existing federal programs in the form of grants and low-interest loans to encourage developers to convert offices into residential.

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Following the rise of home working when the pandemic struck and the reluctance of many employees to start commuting again five days a week, business districts have been struggling.

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Last December Silverstein Properties, one of America's largest commercial landlords, announced plans to raise more than $1.5 billion to convert unwanted office space into residential housing in markets ranging from New York to San Francisco.

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Conversions are faster than new construction, 20% cheaper, and produce fewer greenhouse gas emissions, the White House added.


The original article contains 364 words, the summary contains 180 words. Saved 51%. I'm a bot and I'm open source!

[–] NotMyOldRedditName@lemmy.world 6 points 2 years ago

This should also help liven up downtowns that become ghost towns after 5/6pm.

More people living there will support more of the things that keep an area lively.

[–] queermunist@lemmy.ml 6 points 2 years ago

Sounds hard.

Instead let's convert them to Airbnb units! 🤮

yeah not a bad idea

[–] HowMany@lemmy.ml 5 points 2 years ago (1 children)

How about... let those corporations EAT those fucking buildings and let's put that money to use IN THE HANDS OF THE PEOPLE. First time home buyers. Put some federal controls on real estate; mortgage rates; put the skids on the goddam prime rate - there is NO need for that shit... the economy is suffering from PROFITEERING - NOT inflation.

I realize half or more of our elected officials will have to give back bribe money in order to do something for the people that doesn't doubly do something for their wealthy sponsors.

I know, I know... "just get to earth?"

[–] CanadaPlus@lemmy.sdf.org 5 points 2 years ago (7 children)

Wait, so what do we do with the buildings?

[–] HowMany@lemmy.ml 4 points 2 years ago (4 children)

They belong to corporations. The corporations don't get tax breaks if the buildings aren't used - but they still need to be paid for... which is a huge monetary outlay. Honestly, I don't care what happens to them and neither should anyone else. Am I sorry that corporations, the SAME corporations fleecing the planet right now with profiteering, are losing money? Hardly. They made the rules - they bought the politicians to enforce the rules- they made their own mess.

Converting office space to living space strains infrastructure in ways not intended by the original intent of the buildings. They can't put thirty apartments on a single floor of a high rise and have those residents use the same four bathrooms per floor that the offices had. Same with sewage. Same with electrical.

And I reiterate - as soon as the money is distributed to the "developers" - that money - OUR money - is gone... whether it is used for the purpose intended or not.

Keep in mind that trump is a 'developer'. Do you really think if Biden gave trump "three billion dollars" that trump would use it for what it was intended? Or do you think he'd pocket most of it? And he is a typical 'developer' as far as 'honesty' is concerned.

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[–] n0m4n@lemmy.world 5 points 2 years ago

Many ideas here sound like the projects built, starting in the 1930s. They had many failures and a few successes.

[–] Grant_M@lemmy.ca 4 points 2 years ago

Excellent stuff from Dark Brandon. NICE!

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