Convert commercial space to work/live space?

[oakesLife]

My boyfriend and I both work for ourselves and have been looking for the perfect downtown condo for awhile. We haven't found what we're really looking for and are now thinking about buying a property and converting it ourselves. He's a photographer and would likely have a studio space and I'm a designer and would likely have a seperate office space. We'd like to renovate some kind of commercial property and split it into office/residential. Does anyone know what the zoning rules are or have any idea how we would do this?

thanks.

[GRDadof3]

My boyfriend and I both work for ourselves and have been looking for the perfect downtown condo for awhile. We haven't found what we're really looking for and are now thinking about buying a property and converting it ourselves. He's a photographer and would likely have a studio space and I'm a designer and would likely have a seperate office space. We'd like to renovate some kind of commercial property and split it into office/residential. Does anyone know what the zoning rules are or have any idea how we would do this?

thanks.

[oakesLife]

LOL. The first picture is a friend of mine. Thanks for the link. I actually live kittycorner from those artist lofts. We hate looking at the ugly vertical blinds.

Yes, we're looking more at an industrial loft space. We really love the huge open space at commerce and weston but it's way too big - 10,000 sq ft or so. That's the kind of space we're thinking about but closer to 2K-4K sq ft. We're just not sure if we would be breaking any ordinances by buying a commercial space and then splitting it in half - work space and full time residency space. I assume the condo projects that have work/live spaces are specially zoned - or atleast zoned residential first. We're keeping an eye on the loose leaf project but we don't love the neighborhood.

[GRCityPlanner]

It depends on where you are... if you're looking downtown, there are very few restrictions, especially if you are renovating instead of building new. If you are in a commercial zone district, you will probably have to go to the Planning Commission for approval of residential above commercial. If you're in a residential district, you will likely need a variance for the commercial use downstairs. If you're in industrial, you'll probably need a variance for both uses.

Some people have mentioned the new zoning code on this site... that code will make mixing uses like you propose much easier. However, if you're looking to start your project before late fall, you'll probably still be stuck with the old code.

Call my office at 616-456-3031 if you have questions.

[oakesLife]

Thanks planner. Does it work the same if it's only 1 story? So the left would be office space and the right residential or front office and back residential?

[GRCityPlanner]

Thanks planner. Does it work the same if it's only 1 story? So the left would be office space and the right residential or front office and back residential?