Section 275. Legislative findings

It is hereby declared and found that in
  cities with a population in excess of  one  million,  large  numbers  of
  loft,  manufacturing,  commercial,  institutional,  public and community
  facility buildings have lost, and continue to  lose,  their  tenants  to
  more modern premises; and that the untenanted portions of such buildings
  constitute  a  potential  housing  stock  within  such  cities  which is
  capable,  when   appropriately   altered,   of   accommodating   general
  residential  use,  thereby contributing to an alleviation of the housing
  shortage most severely affecting moderate and  middle  income  families,
  and  of  accommodating  joint living-work quarters for artists by making
  readily available space which is physically  and  economically  suitable
  for use by persons regularly engaged in the arts.
    There  is  a  public  purpose  to  be  served by making accommodations
  readily available for joint living-work quarters  for  artists  for  the
  following reasons:  persons regularly engaged in the arts require larger
  amounts of space for the pursuit of their artistic endeavors and for the
  storage  of  the materials therefor and of the products thereof than are
  regularly to be found in dwellings subject to  this  article;  that  the
  financial  remunerations  to be obtained from pursuit of a career in the
  arts are generally small; that as a result  of  such  limited  financial
  remuneration  persons  regularly  engaged  in the arts generally find it
  financially impossible to maintain quarters for  the  pursuit  of  their
  artistic  endeavors  separate  and apart from their places of residence;
  that the cultural life of cities of more than one million persons within
  this state and of the state as a whole is enhanced by the  residence  in
  such  cities  of large numbers of persons regularly engaged in the arts;
  that the high cost of land within  such  cities  makes  it  particularly
  difficult for persons regularly engaged in the arts to obtain the use of
  the  amounts of space required for their work as aforesaid; and that the
  residential use of the space is secondary or accessory  to  the  primary
  use as a place of work.
    It  is  further declared that the legislation governing the alteration
  of such  buildings  to  accommodate  general  residential  use  must  of
  necessity  be more restrictive than statutes heretofore in effect, which
  affected only joint living-work quarters for artists.
    It is the  intention  of  this  legislation  to  promulgate  statewide
  minimum  standards  for  all alterations of non-residential buildings to
  residential use, but the legislature is cognizant that the use  of  such
  buildings  for residential purposes must be consistent with local zoning
  ordinances. The legislature further recognizes that it is  the  role  of
  localities  to adopt regulations which will define in further detail the
  manner in which alterations should be carried out where  building  types
  and conditions are peculiar to their local environment.