What difficulties would prevent converting deserted “big-box” stores to residential apartment buildings?
Sunday, February 7th, 2010 at
12:01 am
It seems that an old Wal-Mart or Sears, with 20-25 foot ceilings would have plenty of infrastructure to supply many two-story dwellings, with atria and interior gardens, while providing enough parking outside for everyone. Soooooo, what’s the hold up?
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Legal concerns. Commercial building codes, regulations and standards are different from Residential. And most States I am familiar with are very restrictive if not prohibitive of residential use on commercial lots. Although I wonder if usage as a "hotel" would provide a loop hole. Good Luck, it’s a very creative solution to an ever growing problem. A sort of Hybrid Dormitory.
But as mentioned before it is far more expensive to rennovate and re-invent a structure than it is to build it to suit its intended purpose in the first place.
The high price of commercially zoned land or frontage on a highly accessible avenue.
Perhaps septic/sewer.
$$$$ needs to take an interest to develope the idea. Perhaps very unattractive too.
money or return on investment .commersial property is expensive .one can buy land and develope it to add structures much cheaper.an exsiting structure is very hard to manipulate into something different.very expensive.