"Commercial to Residential" Awakens Dormant Assets as Unfinished Buildings Transform into Livable Homes

This article is reprinted from Hebei Daily

Langfang Longhe Center Project Selected as a Typical Case in the National Pilot Program for Redevelopment of Inefficient Land

“Commercial to Residential” Revitalizes Existing Assets, Turning Unfinished Buildings into Livable Homes

Our reporter Liu Ying reports: Recently, the Ministry of Natural Resources announced the third batch of typical cases in the national pilot program for redevelopment of inefficient land. The Longhe Center Project in Anci District, Langfang City, was successfully selected, making it the only case from Hebei Province. The project revitalized 46,500 square meters of unfinished commercial buildings through policy innovation, unlocking 266 million yuan in existing assets, solving the “urban scar” problem, and meeting regional talent housing needs—achieving a win-win situation of urban quality improvement and livelihood enhancement.

On the morning of March 17, at the construction site of Longhe Center on the south side of Nanlong Road in Anci District, workers were busy transporting various materials for construction. “Finally, work has started! These three unfinished buildings are right by the road; passing by used to be frustrating. Now, seeing the workers busy, I feel much more hopeful!” Mr. Li, a nearby resident, looked at the construction site with joy and anticipation.

Looking back to 2018, the Longhe Center project was approved as a commercial business hub, planned to be a city landmark integrating hotels, office buildings, and entrepreneurial apartments. However, as surrounding commercial formats changed, the project stalled after the main structure was topped out.

“Unfinished buildings not only damage the city’s image but also hinder investment attraction in Longhe High-tech Zone. When companies visit and see these unfinished buildings, their confidence in regional development drops,” said Xiao Mingxing, chief engineer of the Langfang Municipal Bureau of Natural Resources and Planning. Located in Longhe High-tech Zone, the project faced increasing housing demand from park enterprises and their employees, especially young people starting their careers, who found it difficult to find affordable housing nearby. The original developer had considered converting the unfinished buildings into a talent community, but there was no policy basis for changing the land use from commercial to residential.

A turning point came in September 2023 when Langfang successfully became a pilot city for the national redevelopment of inefficient land. Seizing this opportunity, Langfang formed a dedicated working group to conduct in-depth research on enterprises, and successively issued policies such as the “Interim Measures for the Comprehensive Implementation Plan for Redevelopment of Inefficient Land in Langfang.” These clarified standards for land identification, procedures for land use conversion, and compensation mechanisms, addressing industry pain points like difficulty in identification, revitalization, and utilization.

“These new policies provide a basis and operational guidelines for revitalizing existing assets,” said Xu Zhikai, director of the Department of Natural Resources and Planning of Langfang. After policy implementation, China Jinmao Group took over the project, paid the land transfer fees, and successfully converted the commercial financial land into Category II urban residential land.

“We invited seven experts from both inside and outside the province to conduct a full-process review, confirming that technical renovations could meet current residential standards,” said Zou Guangzhao, project leader of China Jinmao Group’s Longhe Center. By reducing the floor area ratio, increasing green space, optimizing unit layouts and traffic organization, and retaining amenities like a central garden and coffee shop, the project created a community where residents can see greenery through their windows and enter parks directly from their homes. It also plans 13 talent apartments offering short- and long-term rental services for recent graduates.

In August 2025, the Longhe Center “commercial to residential” project officially launched. “This not only avoids resource waste from demolition and reconstruction, transforming the planned commercial center into a high-quality community that meets people’s needs for a better life, but also attracted 397 million yuan in corporate investment, supporting the city in attracting and retaining talent,” said Xiao Mingxing.