[danjl]

What about incentivizing switching the building from commercial to residential? Given that commercial brick and mortar are generally on a downward trend, and the need for housing continues to increase, it would seem better to switch the property zoning in the long run. Since I'm clueless about the financial details of commercial real estate, I'm sure this proposal is full of holes, but, as a rule, I prefer incentives rather than penalties to motivate change.