AZRE Magazine
A church turned into a Taco Guild. An old automotive dealership and service station turned into a restaurant complex. A 60,000 SF building that once housed a television studio renovated to service a health center, theater, pharmacy and vitamin shop. To a city’s residents, a building finding a new purpose is a novelty. But to developers and architects in the Valley, it’s a trend that preserves the cityscape and — with the help of incentive programs and building code leniencies — is cost effective and time efficient.
Adaptive re-use of standing buildings has been a recent trend in the Valley, particularly Phoenix, which has been searching for sustainable solutions to add density to its core areas.
The City of Phoenix first piloted its adaptive re-use program in April 2008. The program became permanent six months later. Phoenix is the only city in the Valley with an established incentive program geared directly toward adaptive re-use development.
