If Chicago wants more housing, it should remove barriers to building
<p>Chicago is converting <a class="Link" href="https://chicago.suntimes.com/real-estate/2026/06/15/loop-building-residential-wave-office-conversions" target="_blank" >25</a> Downtown office buildings to apartments this year — more such projects than the city has seen in the past 20 years combined, the Sun-Times reported in June.</p><p>This is welcome news, and we need more of it. Bloomberg and Axios have reported that Chicago rents are up more than 35% since before the pandemic, which outpaces other major cities over the same period.</p><p>Despite demand, these conversion projects struggle to launch in Chicago because developers face expensive affordability requirements, unnecessary building codes and excessive aldermanic power.
Reported by 1 outlet — Chicago Sun-Times. See all sources ↓
<p>Chicago is converting <a class="Link" href="https://chicago.suntimes.com/real-estate/2026/06/15/loop-building-residential-wave-office-conversions" target="_blank" >25</a> Downtown office buildings to apartments this year — more such projects than the city has seen in the past 20 years combined, the Sun-Times reported in June.</p><p>This is welcome news, and we need more of it. Bloomberg and Axios have reported that Chicago rents are up more than 35% since before the pandemic, which outpaces other major cities over the same period.</p><p>Despite demand, these conversion projects struggle to launch in Chicago because developers face expensive affordability requirements, unnecessary building codes and excessive aldermanic power. Chicago leaders must remove these structural barriers that make Downtown conversions challenging in order to meaningfully add to the city’s housing supply.</p><div class="RichTextSidebarModule Enhancement" data-module data-align-center><a class="AnchorLink" id="module-110000" name="module-110000"></a> <div class="RichTextSidebarModule-title">Commentary bug</div> <div class="RichTextModule-items RichTextBody"><h2>Commentary</h2></div> </div><p>Commercial-to-residential conversions can be completed <a class="Link" href="https://www.bloomberg.com/graphics/2025-nyc-midtown-office-conversions/" target="_blank" >faster</a> than projects starting from the ground up. Vacant offices are often near transit, jobs and amenities that make them desirable locations and ideal for tenants.
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- What's the story?
- <p>Chicago is converting <a class="Link" href="https://chicago.suntimes.com/real-estate/2026/06/15/loop-building-residential-wave-office-conversions" target="_blank" >25</a> Downtown office buildings to apartments this year — more such projects than the city has seen in the past 20 years combined, the Sun-Times reported in June.</p><p>This is welcome news, and we need more of it. Bloomberg and Axios have reported that Chicago rents are up more than 35% since before the pandemic, which outpaces other major cities over the same period.</p><p>Despite demand, these conversion projects struggle to launch in Chicago because developers face expensive affordability requirements, unnecessary building codes and excessive aldermanic power.
- How widely is it covered?
- 1 outlet, average source rating 6.0/10.
- When was it last updated?
- 8m ago.
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If Chicago wants more housing, it should remove barriers to building
Sources1TypeCoverageChicago Sun-Times