Support Us Button Widget

Be the broker: Which vacant office spaces would you like to see become affordable housing?

Tell us which empty building could be used differently.

downtown KC skyline

A skyline full of opportunity.

Photo by @jrw_shoots

Have you noticed some of the empty office space around town? Office vacancies are currently at 21% locally as of 2023, up from 20.3% last year. Compare those numbers to the national office vacancy rate, which was 17.8% as of September 2023. One possible use for vacant offices? Affordable housing.

Recently, the White House released a new plan to convert commercial buildings into residential housing — affordable housing in particular. Resources will be made available from 20+ programs across multiple agencies, including the Department of Transportation and the Department of Housing and Urban Development.

We’re talking below-market loans, grants, and tax credits... all available to help take advantage of preexisting buildings to make more affordable housing.

Projects currently underway

Kansas City leads with cities like San Francisco and Washington, DC in converting older buildings into apartments, resulting in 5,305 new residential units created as of 2020.

Currently, the Cordish Cos. (aka the owners of Power & Light) are converting the downtown Midland office building at 1221 Baltimore Ave. into 135 units of workforce housing. The project is on track for completion in May.

Which vacant spaces would you like to see converted?

Have you passed an empty office building that would be a sweet apartment? How about some empty warehouses near public transportation that would make for a quick commute?

Tell us which spaces you’d like to see remade into housing, and we may feature your picks in an upcoming newsletter.

More from KCtoday
Need some new places to pop the bubbly? Don’t worry, KCtoday has the scoop on the 10 best spots to watch the ball drop on Tuesday, Dec. 31.
Well, maybe not us directly — but KC really is the gift that keeps on giving.
For the new year, we’re asking readers to submit their top questions about Kansas City for us to answer.
Let’s take a look at some snowy stats.
2024’s Google Year in Search is out — check out what Kansas Citians were searching most this year (it might surprise you).
Kansas City is working towards a greener downtown with the South Loop Project. Check out renderings of the project + its 2026 completion goal.
We have 10 of the most recognizable Kansas City landmarks — from bright signs in the night sky to beacons of stone and metal.
A fresh new look is coming for the city’s award-winning farmers market.
Get into the holiday spirits. 🍸
Prepare for winter weather in KC with these seasonal temperature and precipitation outlooks.