The City of West Hollywood is exploring amending the Zoning Ordinance to facilitate and streamline the conversion of commercial to residential uses (also called residential adaptive reuse) to provide opportunities for additional housing across the City, as directed by the City's 2021-2029 6th Cycle Housing Element.

Under the most recent 6th Cycle Regional Housing Needs Assessment (RHNA), the City must plan for 3,933 new housing units across various income levels. One strategy to increase housing production is converting existing buildings with non-residential uses, such as office and other commercial space, into housing. This is often referred to as adaptive reuse.

As the COVID-19 pandemic and telework changed how office space is used across the country, cities are exploring strategies to convert underutilized office space to residential uses to address housing shortages and high office vacancy rates. Repurposing existing buildings also promotes sustainable practices by extending the life of buildings and maximizing the energy and resources used in the initial construction. Many cities are exploring adaptive reuse and commercial-to-residential conversions to increase housing opportunities, revitalize commercial cores, and address high office vacancies.

Conversion projects can have significant financial, physical, and regulatory challenges. To address some of the barriers to conversions, cities across the state and region have modified or waived development standards and offered process incentives. The City of West Hollywood is exploring options to provide relief supporting conversions from commercial to residential uses through a Zone Text Amendment.