Senate committee advances Haney’s office-to-housing conversion bill amid safety and local-control questions

AB 507, the Office to Housing Conversion Act authored by Assemblymember Haney, was advanced by the Senate Committee on Local Government. The bill would create a ministerial pathway for adaptive reuse conversions of qualifying office buildings in infill and downtown areas, with the stated goals of reviving underutilized downtowns and preserving historic cores while creating housing near transit.

Supporters described adaptive reuse as a cost-effective, climate-friendly approach that can increase downtown housing and boost foot traffic for small businesses. "These places are exactly where we want more people to be living if we're serious about meeting our state's climate goals," Mark Flicksovich, director of state policy at Streets for All, told the committee.

The bill includes labor provisions and other edits the author said were added following last year’s negotiations with labor and the governor’s office. The author noted the earlier version reached the governor's desk but was not signed; he said amendments in the current version are intended to address prior labor concerns.

Opponents, including the League of California Cities and several charter cities, urged caution. They argued a statewide by-right ministerial standard could be a one-size-fits-all approach that does not reflect the varied commercial and seismic realities across California. "We are concerned that it sets up a standard that's one size fits all for that," Brady Garrett representing the…