Bay Area
New State Bill Would Incentivize Converting Vacant Offices into Housing
A new bill authored by Assemblyman Matt Haney would prevent cities from stalling or killing the conversion of empty office space into housing in an effort to utilize the state’s emptying downtowns. Assembly Bill 1532 would categorize office conversion projects as “by right” developments, relaxing the permitting and review process for housing projects by preventing a city or county from requiring certain permits to convert a vacant office into housing.
By Eli Walsh
Bay City News Foundation
A new bill authored by Assemblyman Matt Haney would prevent cities from stalling or killing the conversion of empty office space into housing in an effort to utilize the state’s emptying downtowns.
Assembly Bill 1532 would categorize office conversion projects as “by right” developments, relaxing the permitting and review process for housing projects by preventing a city or county from requiring certain permits to convert a vacant office into housing.
The bill is partially spurred by the hundreds of empty offices in downtown San Francisco, which has seen one of the slowest pandemic recoveries in the country among major metro areas.
According to the commercial real estate firm CBRE, some 27 percent of San Francisco’s offices were vacant at the end of 2022.
“How people work was permanently changed by the pandemic and the downtowns that relied on commuters are starting to look like ghost towns,” said Haney, D-San Francisco. “Turning empty offices into housing is one of the only paths forward to saving our downtowns.”
In addition to preventing local governments from stalling office conversions via the permitting and review process, AB 1352 would also make office conversion projects allowed in any area of a city regardless of local zoning laws.
The bill requires that at least 10 percent of units in an office-to-housing conversion must be reserved for low- and moderate-income families.
AB 1352 would also create a grant program to partially subsidize office-to-housing conversion in an effort to further incentivize new projects.
“This bill stops the bureaucracy and will allow us to move fast to build desperately needed housing and bring life back to our downtowns,” Haney said.
State lawmakers have yet to refer AB 1352 to a committee in the Assembly. The bill will be eligible for a committee hearing as soon as March 20, its 31st day in print.
Copyright © 2023 Bay City News, Inc. All rights reserved. Republication, rebroadcast or redistribution without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited. Bay City News is a 24/7 news service covering the greater Bay Area.
###
EliWalsh/BCNFoundation1413p02/27/23
CONTACT: Nate Allbee, Haney’s office (415) 756-0561 or Nate.Allbee@asm.ca.gov
EDITORS PLEASE NOTE: An image related to this story can be obtained from the following Bay City News Service web link: https://www.baycitynews.com/images/BCN-20230111-SFHOMELESSSUIT-03.JPG
/www/bcn/general/02/newsclip.23.02.27.14.15.01.1.txt
Activism
Oakland Post: Week of September 23 – 29, 2026
The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of September 23 – 29, 2026
To enlarge your view of this issue, use the slider, magnifying glass icon or full page icon in the lower right corner of the browser window.
Activism
Oakland Post: Week of September 16 – 22, 2026
The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of September 16 – 22, 2026
To enlarge your view of this issue, use the slider, magnifying glass icon or full page icon in the lower right corner of the browser window.
Activism
Oakland Post: Week of September 9 – 15, 2026
The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of September 9 – 15, 2026
To enlarge your view of this issue, use the slider, magnifying glass icon or full page icon in the lower right corner of the browser window.
Asm. Corey Jackson Announces Launch of 24-Hour Childcare in His District
IN MEMORIAM: The Rev. Leon “Sonny” Clark, Longtime Orange County Pastor and Community Leader, Dies at 72
Poll: Becerra Widens His Lead Over Hilton; Californians Split on Wealth Tax
From Historic Memories to New Possibilities: Oakland Celebrates Coliseum 60
County Office of Education Says OUSD Finances Are Getting Healthier, Materially Stronger
LIVE FREE Sunday Dinner Brings Faith, Fellowship and Civic Conversation to Oakland
Remembering Chauncey Bailey as Student Journalists Face Threats to Truth-Telling
BLACspace Cooperative Invites Bay Area to Experience Oakland’s Black Cultural Ecosystem Through a BLAC Map Tour + Party
In Wake of Death on Doorstep, Williams Chapel Baptist Church Calls for Better Care, Funding for Unhoused
Oakland Centenarian Nuna McKee Honored!
Caribbean Nations Produce Action Plan Calling for UK Reparations Over Slavery
Oakland Post: Week of September 23 – 29, 2026
Doulas Are Helping Black California Moms Navigate Pregnancy–Even as High Mortality Rates Persist
Newsom Signs Addictive Social Media Law to Protect Kids
On Your November Ballot: Prop 38 Would Allocate $8.4 Billion to Immunology and Immunotherapy Funding
Standoff for Justice: Our Homes Are Worth Fighting For
Oakland Post: Week of August 26 – September 1, 2026
Frontier Airlines’ Return to Oakland Airport Brings Flights, Jobs and Opportunity
Gubernatorial Candidate Steve Hilton Blasts California New Tire Rules; Newsom Hits Back
Chef Sharon Lee Blends Culinary Excellence, Education and Empowerment
Jackie Wright Champions Bay Area Stories, Filmmakers and Cultural Institutions
Big City Mayors Ask for “Yes” Vote on Housing Bond Measure; Conservatives Say “No”
Oakland Coliseum Project Opens Door for Small Businesses to Build Bigger
Gov. Newsom’s Latest Appointees Include Sacramento Advocate for Formerly Incarcerated Students; State’s New Tech Chief
Misnamed ‘Parent’ PAC Seeks to Influence Oakland School Board Elections
Longtime BWOPA Member Brendalyn Goodall Appointed to California Workforce Development Board
Gov. Newsom Signs Law Shielding Immigration Aid Workers From Doxing Threats
Secretary of State Shirley N. Weber Urges Californians to Vote Early as Voter ID Battle Intensifies
From Palestine to Oakland: Seeds for Liberation Examines Shared Struggles for Freedom
IN MEMORIAM: Dolly Parton Dead at 80 — How She Built a Legacy of Love and Earned Her Place in Black Culture
The Conversation With Al McFarlane 6/23/26
Media Monday 6/22/26
LIVE! ASK ALMA! — TUES. 6.23.26 7PM EST
Car Buying Secrets: 4 Hidden Checks Before You Sign!
Is This 550 HP Charger Worth YOUR Money? AutoNetwork Review
Celebrating Juneteenth – Frederick Douglass on education and resistance
LIVE! — ASK ALMA! — TUES. 6.19.26 7PM EST
Hyundai Ioniq 5 Parking, Safety, and 360 View #shorts
2025 Ioniq 5 New Wiper & Powerful Performance! #shorts
Electric SUV Range: Is 259 Miles Enough? #shorts
EV Charging: How Fast Can You Charge an Electric Vehicle? #shorts
Biometric Cooling… Messaging Seats…Come on! 2025 Infiniti QX80 Autograph 4WD
Charged Up: Witness the Magic of a Fully Electric Car! #shorts
Range Rover Sport PHEV Included…: See What’s Inside This Luxury SUV! #shorts
Invisible Hood View: Perfect Parking with X-Ray Vision! #shorts
-
Community2 weeks agoMisnamed ‘Parent’ PAC Seeks to Influence Oakland School Board Elections
-
Activism3 weeks agoOakland Post: Week of September 2 – 8, 2026
-
Community2 weeks agoRichmond Tiny House Village Farm & Garden Set to Open Gates on Sept. 26
-
Black History2 weeks agoOPINION: Nolan Wells’ Death One of Several Signifying Racial Terror Lives on in U.S. South
-
Black History2 weeks agoLatest Massacre in Haiti Reveals Cruelty U.S. Deportations
-
Activism2 weeks agoOakland Post: Week of September 9 – 15, 2026
-
Community2 weeks agoDemocratic Clubs Interview Candidates for Oakland School Board
-
Featured2 weeks ago‘Ready to See These Bills Become Law’: Sen. Weber’s Package of 15 Bills Advance to Gov. Newsom’s Desk
