What’s been called “adaptive reuse” seemed to be a logical, even inevitable outcome of the pandemic. With many more people transitioning to remote working, companies have shrunk the footprint of commercial offices they need. Coupled with the chronic shortage of housing overall, the solution seems simple: Convert the newly empty office buildings to residences.

In fact, that’s not so simple. As it turns out, Honolulu’s housing code does not help the square peg of residential use fit neatly into the office-space round hole.

It’s not only a local problem, either. Hurdles have appeared in many urban areas trying to make better use of commercial properties in various stages of abandonment.

There are some kinks to be ironed out in the municipal codes that are particular to Honolulu, however, which makes Bill 21 a useful vehicle for needed change on Oahu.

The measure, introduced by Honolulu City Councilmember Tyler Dos Santos-Tam, has cleared its first reading and will be heard next by the Council Zoning Committee in about a month.

Dos Santos-Tam came to this issue after years of industry advocacy as executive director for the Hawai‘i Construction Alliance; he also represents District 6, the Downtown and Chinatown areas where much of the commercial-to-residential conversions would be pursued.

His policy and communications director, Richmond Luzar, said staff is continuing to dig into city codes to identify potential problems to correct but so far has identified requirements for windows, to add natural light and ventilation, as one barrier.

The crux of the problem is that Honolulu has a housing code layered on top of its general building code. The housing standards are prescriptive in ways that may no longer fit some prospective residential properties. Carefully easing some of these rules would be a sensible approach.

Example: A developer may propose to convert an office space, which already meets building codes, to housing. To do so, the windows would need retrofitting to install larger windows that meet the stricter housing code, and that added cost could make the project economically untenable.

In place of the now-required windows that open, a mechanical ventilation system could be provided for all spaces except bedrooms, according to the current draft of the bill.

Much of the initial round of testimony has been positive, although Dos Santos-Tam said there have been critics concerned about a “worst-case scenario” of commercial buildings repurposed as windowless housing units.

That certainly is an outcome to be avoided in the final text of the bill, but Luzar said such an extreme is unlikely. He’s got a point. At a minimum, proposed amendments to the bill would require natural light provided by skylights where windows are not practicable — more expensive adaptations that probably would not become the default option.

The goal, Dos Santos-Tam rightly said, is “to create housing spaces where it wouldn’t otherwise be possible.

“We always talk about ‘streamlining codes,’ but it never happens,” he added. “Let’s get started.”

Adaptive reuse is having similar growing pains nationwide, each locale contending with its own regulatory changes to make it work. And there are green shoots of success in cities such as New York, Washington, D.C., and Pittsburgh.

In Honolulu, where housing needs at various price ranges are great, and where the Downtown district clearly could benefit from a mix of residential and commercial activity, the right question is: Is this worth the effort?

Considering what’s at stake, the answer is an unequivocal yes. Bill 21 deserves the Council’s full consideration.