Boston Planning & Development Agency (BPDA)
HR&A supported the City of Boston’s Planning Department (fka the Boston Planning and Development Agency (BPDA)) in studying the feasibility of converting vacant downtown offices to residences through subsidies, tax incentives, and expedited permitting, which resulted in the City launching an office conversion pilot program. Since its launch in October 2023, the program has received applications proposing nearly 800 new homes, and in 2024 the City extended the pilot with $15 million in new funding from the State.
This study is part of an ongoing effort by the City of Boston to generate strategies and initiatives that can revitalize Boston’s Downtown in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Shifts in how we work, office space utilization and commuting patterns have resulted in lower tax revenue for the City of Boston as well as less foot traffic to support retail options and a safe and active street-level experience. HR&A analyzed potential new uses for vacant and underperforming office buildings, the costs associated with conversion, incentives for spurring conversions, and the impacts of repositioning office buildings on the city, its workers, residents, and visitors.
Based on our findings, HR&A recommended an actionable tax abatement to successfully convert vacant downtown office buildings to viable uses. The project entailed data review and market analysis; building type inventory and reuse assessment; stakeholder interviews; financial analysis; funding strategies; and policy recommendations.
- Converting Boston’s offices to housing is tricky, but it’s starting to happen — WBUR
- Why converting Boston's empty offices to homes is harder than it looks — Axios
- Mayor Wu, City, State officials celebrate first 100+ units converted from offices now under construction in Boston — City of Boston
- Boston’s downtown office to residential conversion program gets $15M state boos — Boston Herald
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HR&A supported San Diego State University to develop the vision and business plan for a 1.6 million square foot Innovation District at SDSU Mission Valley, a transformative mixed-use development on a 165-acre transit-oriented site. We guided master plan refinement and are supporting procurement of a developer for up to 500,000 square feet of research space, positioning SDSU to expand career opportunities for its 35,000 students while growing its $5.7 billion annual regional economic impact.
HR&A served as strategic partner and development advisor to Rice Management Company for The Ion and broader 16-acre Ion District in Houston, overseeing real estate and programmatic development. This comprehensive advisory role helped successfully transform a historic former Sears department store into a thriving innovation hub while laying the groundwork for a 3-5 million square foot mixed-use innovation district that fosters an inclusive tech ecosystem and creates equitable economic opportunities.
HR&A co-led a multidisciplinary team developing an equitable transit-oriented development (ETOD) strategy for CapMetro's Project Connect, spanning 100+ station areas. Working with Austin Transit Partnership and the City of Austin, we created a comprehensive policy toolkit that minimizes displacement while maximizing economic opportunities for local residents and businesses.
HR&A has supported the Los Angeles Cleantech Incubator (LACI) since 2017 to drive investment and strategic partnerships across Los Angeles County to realize its goal of reaching 600,000 green jobs by 2050. HR&A’s collaboration with LACI began with a Green Jobs Study to quantify and characterize the green economy in Los Angeles County, essential for setting workforce goals and strategies.
