Posted on 11/12/2015 5:44:56 AM PST by equaviator
The Grand Rapids, MI, planning commission — which sees small apartments as a way to alleviate the city's affordable housing shortage — is adding the term "micro-unit" to its zoning ordinances and allowing developers to provide less vehicle parking than usually required in exchange for building them. Developers, however, must provide two bicycle parking spaces per unit.
Micro-units, the planning commission’s solution for people who make too much money to qualify for subsidized rent yet not enough to afford new, market-rate apartment, must be 475 square feet or smaller and be incorporated into a mixed-use commercial building, according to MLive.
Developers in Grand Rapids are already seeing high demand for the small apartments, in some cases advertised as "artist lofts" by developers. Max Benedict of Third Coast Development told MLive that seeing the response for the company's two available micro-units in downtown Grand Rapids was like "striking oil."
Providing developer incentives to build micro-units is "a market-based approach to get at affordable housing because if you're paying by square-footage, the smaller the unit the less you're going to pay," Suzanne Schulz, city planning director, told MLive.
"In an urban context,†she said, “your social life is outside your unit," she said. "(Your home) is a place to rest your head and maybe make a bowl of cereal."
Micro-homes, be it small apartments or tiny houses, are becoming the go-to affordable housing solution in many cities. Portland, OR, and Hawaii have both seen micro-apartment developments this year, and the tiny house movement is on the rise with lawmakers in Missouri, New Jersey and Washington, DC considering loosening regulations for, and sometimes encouraging the construction of, the smaller living spaces.
No thanks, I need at least 3000 square feet.
I would have looked at one of these micro apartments as a luxury when I was in the USAF, and we had it good compared to the other services.
We had two to three guys to a room less than half that size, with beds and a sink. Sometimes a bathroom shared by two units, sometimes communal down the hall.
Then there are the Army and Marines, often in open bay barracks.
And the Navy guys, "hot bedding" in submarines with just a bunk and inches from the next guy or a torpedo, etc.
These mini apartments make perfect sense for folks just starting out.
Obama or somebody like him would have to be in the White House for a lot longer than eight years to reverse the growth rate of so-called “white flight” bedroom communities to the north of Detroit. Part of that growth rate includes an increase in black families who wanted a better life than what they had in the neighborhoods of the Motor City and nobody in the suburbs is complaining.
You’re making my point. Civilians living like the military is more like North Korea than America.
“These mini apartments make perfect sense for folks just starting out.”
They are being made to believe that it makes “perfect sense”.
Oh sure—move in a few low class neighbors/southern imports into the hive who play the boom ‘music’ at night. Bass notes have longer wavelengths deeply penetrating the peaceful silence. Try falling asleep to that ‘neighborly’ party noise pollution at night.
Beat me to it!
Yes, but only the worker class, the parasite class is untouchable.
In fact they need more free stuff.
People used to build ‘micro homes’ oh for ... forever. They were called cabins, or dugout homes built into a hillside.
People used to be able to build a shelter for themselves and their family without asking permission from zoning officials.
In almost all cases these homes were later expanded or torn down and a larger home built on the lot, or a larger home was built and then your adult child who just got married would stay in the smaller home until they could strike out on their own.
Building and living in what you could afford, even if small, didn’t used to be illegal.
But but but the American ideal is two people in 5000 square foot at $200 per foot!
At different times in my life, I would have loved one. Mandating large cars and houses would be no less totalitarian than mandating small ones. And they still consider themselves conservatives?
These government-operated enclaves will become known as "Little Syria", "Little Nueva Espana", "Little Eritrea", etc. and will be hotbeds of massive problems for our economy, our culture and our security.
Don't laugh...the invasive hordes will have to live somewhere, correcto?
Leni
I would not put my large family into one, but there was a time when I wished that I could find exactly this. I wanted a bed, toilet/shower, and an efficiency kitchen, if that, and I would have been very happy to pay less than the rent I instead paid for something bigger and get only what I wanted.
I also am not convinced that these would necessarily attract trouble. If they were too small for a family, or even roommates, they might attract singles who are starting out and working.
It’s not for everyone, and in particular not for me now, but that’s freedom. They should be permitted to build these and to rent them out to those who want an efficiency apartment. Also, I would prefer that they make it big enough for the bicycle - that’s much better than worrying over theft.
That’s not a hotel, it’s the (in)Humane Society!
That would be an improvement on the Chicago Housing Authority!
Each morning a PAID crew would pick up the overnight trash, that was thrown from the windows overnight.
At Taylor holmes, they had a unique design, the elevators are on the exterior of the building, not the central core, where it is nice and warm and DRY.
In addition to the ‘residents’ playing on the top of the car, while running, wind driven rain would find it’s way into the elevator controls. They were often out of service.
When living on the upper floors this meant the stairs, typically (depends on the building) full of trash and used diapers.
If you had seniority you could wait for a vacancy on a low floor, or if you knew of an opening; set your unit on fire!
From the Dan Ryan expressway the burn and smoke marks was visible on most of the upper units.
I worked there in the early 1980’s. Taylor, Cabrini, Wells...
Not certain about the sound insulation, but if you pack too many rats in an area they become agitated...
This is great for the Mexican invaders! They can still probably fit a dozen guys in there, sleeping in shifts, and it allows them to save money on rent to send even more of their wages back to Mexico!
Hah! You win the Internet today my friend, good to see another old timer with a sense of humor!
I’m too lazy to grab the tape and go measure, but IIRC, a standard two-car garage is 400 square feet — for perspective.
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