REAP 1.0 Case Study: Other to Residential Toolkit

The Other-to-Residential Toolkit is a unique tool that guides planners and policymakers step-by-step in facilitating more residential development in their jurisdictions by converting underutilized non-residential (retail strip centers, gas stations, brownfields, and golf courses) land uses to residential. The step-by-step guide serves as a broad framework and sequence of activities to explore site conversions, including feasibility assessment, strategies to catalyze change and engage community stakeholders, and possible road maps for jurisdictions to pursue. 

Project Amount: $137,740

Housing Impact 

The program was oversubscribed four times, issuing $1.3 million in grant awards to 15 nonprofits. Projects varied but mostly focused on housing elements, overlay zones, land trusts, local control, and community benefit agreements. Overall, the program created community engagement, reaching 16,670 participants at convenings, workshops, advisory councils, focus groups, and other public events. The project also engaged with more than 100 city planners and city representatives. 

The toolkit is structured in three parts, beginning with the step-by-step guide that identifies potential opportunity sites and existing barriers to conversion. Second, a toolbox addresses roadblocks to successful redevelopment of opportunity sites. Finally, project scenarios created in partnership with graduate students from the University of Southern California Sol Price School of Public Policy are presented. These project scenarios represent typical sites and conditions in the SCAG region and serve as inspiration for conversion opportunities.

Regional Value 

With the growing housing crisis across the state and the built-out nature of cities in the SCAG region, the Other-to-Residential Toolkit provides a resource for decision-makers to think outside the box to stimulate more housing production.