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Council approves adaptive‑reuse permit to convert vacant office at 975 N D St. into four units
Summary
The council approved Development Permit D23‑19 to convert a dilapidated 2,430‑square‑foot office building at 975 North D Street into four residential units (about 607 sq. ft. each) with new covered parking. Planning Commission had recommended approval; council vote unanimous.
The San Bernardino City Council unanimously approved Development Permit D23‑19, allowing adaptive reuse of a vacant commercial office building at 975 North D Street into four residential units and related site improvements. The Planning Division said the property has been vacant since about 2010 and lies within the adaptive reuse overlay enacted by ordinance MC‑1479 in 2018.
What the project does City staff described the proposal as converting a roughly 2,430 square‑foot building into four one‑bedroom units (about 607.5 sq. ft. each), removing graffiti and dilapidated exterior treatments, installing modern energy‑efficient windows and doors, new decorative finishes and drought‑tolerant landscaping, and building covered parking totaling about 819 square feet. The project includes ADA‑compliant parking and EV‑ready infrastructure for the parking area.
Public testimony and council debate Three members of the public — a former council member, a county youth advisory board representative and a resident from the First Ward — spoke in support of adaptive reuse. Commenters framed the project as an opportunity to add housing, reduce blight, and make use of excess office vacancy. The Planning Commission had unanimously recommended approval (Resolution No. 2025‑024).
On one council member’s question whether units would be market‑rate or affordable, staff responded that the project is intended to provide affordable units. A motion to approve was moved by Councilmember Sanchez and seconded by Councilmember Knauss; the council approved the resolution and permit by unanimous electronic vote.
Why it matters: ordinance and overlay The project relies on the adaptive‑reuse overlay added to the Development Code by Ordinance MC‑1479 (introduced in March 2018 and effective May 4, 2018). Staff said the overlay was created to address office vacancies by allowing conversion to residential units in prescribed areas.
Ending: With the council’s approval the applicant may proceed toward building permits and site work consistent with conditions in the resolution and Planning Commission recommendations.
