Eligibility
Both the minimum density and approval timeline for eligible projects depends on whether the site is within this census-designated location type.
What is an urban area?
The REVIVE Act only applies on lots that have been at least 50% vacant for this long.
What is 12 months?
Home to a 24-hour L.L.Bean, this state passed a bill in 2025 that allows housing on all commercial lots, with no parking minimums.
What is Maine?
Localities must approve eligible projects using this type of process, without a public hearing.
What is a ministerial process?
This jewelry store for mall-shopping tweens has pierced over 100 million ears since 2000.
What is Claire's?
The minimum site area (in square feet) for a project site, roughly the size of 3 NBA basketball courts.
What is 15,000 square feet?
Localities can still make projects go through this process, on a purely advisory basis.
What is design review?
This state, home to the 2nd largest mall in America, has an active bill to allow housing on mall and office park sites.
What is New Jersey?
The minimum density (15-20 dwellings per acre) is equivalent to this type of housing.
What are townhomes?
"Do you prefer 'fashion victim' or 'ensemble-y' challenged?" said this fictional 90s mall girl.
Who is Cher Horowitz (Clueless)?
These two utility systems must already serve the project site.
What are municipal water and sewer systems?
In NYC, a project may either exceed the height limit by 10 feet or match the highest height permitted within this radius of the project.
What is 800 feet?
This New England state, home to the headquarters for airport mall store Brookstone, passed a law in 2025 to allow housing on *all* commercially zoned land.
What is New Hampshire?
The maximum number of parking spaces per housing unit that a locality can require.
What is 1 parking space per unit?
This mall store, former employer of ONY's Political Director and Policy Manager, required its staff to spray the store with cologne every 15-20 minutes.
What is Hollister?
These are the zoning designations that make a site eligible for REVIVE Act (there are four).
What are commercial, office, retail, and parking?
Outside of NYC, the height limit is governed by this rule.
What is the highest height permitted under the local code?
This state, which re-routed the Pawtuxet River in order to build a new mall in the 60s, passed a law in 2024 to allow the conversion of any mall into housing or mixed-use.
What is Rhode Island?
For projects within an urban area, localities must approve the project within 60 days if there are fewer than this many units.
What is 100 units?
This board game introduced children of the 80s and 90s to the thrill of shopping with a credit card.
What is Mall Madness?
These zones are ineligible, unless housing is already a permitted use.
What are industrial zones?
Localities can still control what developments look like, using this zoning tool.
What are objective design standards?
This state, where the 1991 Woody Allen/Bette Midler film Scenes from a Mall was filmed, passed a REVIVE Act-like bill with the same 50% vacancy requirement, but made it voluntary for localities to opt-in.
What is Connecticut?
For projects in an urban area with fewer than this many units, the approval deadline extends to 90 days.
What is 150 units?
In the 2004 film Mean Girls, Regina George tries to buy her prom dress from this fictional mall store, where she is told, "Try Sears."
What is 1-3-5