By Tessa McLean : sfexaminer – excerpt
Even on a rainy San Francisco day, light floods the nearly floor-to-ceiling windows lining the walls of the Warfield Building. Exposed brick borders the windows, giving the office space a decidedly hip feel, one that echoes the urban loft vibe that was once so trendy in major cities. Market Street bustles below, but the street noise is minimal, and from the high floors, the views stretch out to Bernal Hill and beyond.
These office conference rooms could someday be someone’s bedroom, if local developer Group I can get past the city’s Byzantine permitting process and execute an incredibly rare office-to-residential conversion project, which many have billed as one of the only reasonable solutions to the city’s perpetual housing crisis. As downtown San Francisco continues to struggle to revitalize itself post-pandemic, transforming office buildings into housing has been talked about as something of a golden ticket. Not only would it help to make a dent in the city’s woefully inadequate housing supply, but it could also rejuvenate a district that desperately needs a boost, especially as more businesses continue to close…(more)
Seems to me the replumbing costs would make most conversions almost cost prohibitive!