A sweeping federal housing law that took effect Saturday, July 11, 2026, includes a pilot grant program for converting vacant commercial buildings into apartments. The provision could eventually apply to Burlingame's Bayshore Highway corridor, where the city has previously explored redevelopment.
The 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act became law after President Trump declined to sign or veto it within his 10-day constitutional window. It passed the House 358-32 and the Senate 85-5 in June, according to Builder Online. Analysts at The Conversation called it the first major federal housing legislation enacted since the 1990s.
The law combines roughly 50 provisions targeting housing production, financing and regulatory reform, according to the BDC Network. Among them: competitive federal grants for localities that convert underused commercial or industrial buildings into affordable housing, according to Fortune's reporting on the legislation.
Local context
Burlingame has previously explored redevelopment along the Bayshore corridor. In January 2021, the city's Economic Development Subcommittee discussed allowing life sciences and office uses at higher floor-area ratios on properties fronting Old Bayshore Highway, citing waning hotel demand and interest from multiple developers, according to city records. No current conversion proposals tied to the new federal law have been announced.
Separately, Burlingame's Planning Commission voted 5-0 on Monday, January 12, 2026, to recommend zoning code amendments implementing state accessory dwelling unit law and Housing Element policies, a parallel local effort to boost housing supply.
Nationally, office-to-apartment conversions in the pipeline grew 28% year over year to 90,300 units at the start of 2026, according to a RentCafe analysis published by Construction Dive. National office vacancy rates stood near 20% at the start of 2025.
Liccardo's role
U.S. Rep. Sam Liccardo, D-San Jose, led or co-led four of the bills folded into the final package, the most by any Democratic freshman member of Congress, according to his office. Two were co-led with Rep. Mike Flood, the Republican chair of the House Housing and Insurance Subcommittee.
"Seeing this bipartisan effort become law despite our deeply divisive political headwinds gives me hope," Liccardo said in a July 13 statement. "We need to build on this momentum and keep rolling up our sleeves to tackle the housing crisis confronting far too many American families."
What comes next
Implementation will take time. The National Association of Affordable Housing Lenders identified 124 distinct actions required under the new law, with the Department of Housing and Urban Development leading 71% of them. Roughly half are due within one year of enactment, or by approximately July 2027.
"This is a bill that changes rules and regulations. It will unlock funding, but most of the provisions are only as good as the implementation," former HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan, now CEO of Enterprise Community Partners, told CNN on July 11, 2026.
HUD faces 35 new programs, regulations and studies to stand up under the law at a time when the agency is short-staffed following Trump administration cuts, according to the Urban Institute. No Burlingame-specific grant applications or implementation timelines have been announced.
