Building amenities are like balconies....it's not that you'd actually use them, but rather the feeling that you could.

As for the pricing, if someone can do something better, they should. They're charging what the market will bear. If it's overly profitable, others will compete and these guys will have to compete with them.

This appears to be housing specifically designed for extended adolescence. Perfect for millennials.

Or maybe it's designed for people becoming independent...moving away from home, first place...

People are fixating on the service aspect and maybe the sharing aspects. But for most residents it'll simply be small, cheapish housing.

Micros are built all over my city too, though generally in semi-central locations and without the social hours. And new laws have cut back on the cheapest options because screw the working poor apparently. But 300 sf units are the one way a lot of cooks and bank tellers can live close-in without roommates.

This is the stupidest thing I've ever seen. Millennials don't want this, cities provide the public spaces and amenities that are desired. Nobody wants to live in a dorm while paying the same price as a private home.

$2,000/month for a studio apartment in Staten Island isn't cheap-ish, even at NYC price levels. You could be paying down a mortgage on a Manhattan studio for that much.

That's cheap-ish for new construction, though. You pay over $2k a month for studios in new construction in the South Bronx or East NY, even in small buildings with limited services.

A Manhattan studio will generally cost $400k++ and in most cases, probably require 50% down (because most studios are in co-ops and most Manhattan co-ops require 50% down). Also, Manhattan co-ops require formal interviews and a mountain of financial/personal info and you can be rejected for basically any reason.

Long story short doubt there are too many people living in this complex who would be in the market for a Manhattan studio. Post-college workers, even making nice salaries, are unlikely to be accepted.

That already exists. It's called a college dorm.

That's really what these newfangled amenity-filled apartments are. They're dorm life for the post-college set. One which is opening soon here in Pittsburgh not only comes fully furnished, but has maid/linen service, and even refills your shampoo/conditioner dispensers for you.

I find it kind of ridiculous that people want to live like this at age 22. Most people who are done with college/graduate school have had several years of living in slummy off-campus housing with roommates by that time, so dorm life isn't all they know. But then again, these developments aren't catered at the average educated young professional - rather someone higher on the income scale.

I'm preeettty sure college dorms aren't options for those not in college, and some that are.

This is the typical story. People think "I'd never live there" and call it a bad idea. But not everyone is you.

Micro housing (typically without the extras) is hugely popular in my area. I'd have loved to live in one vs. having a roommate in my 20s.

:haha: right you still have your private (small) room. Do you guys think people who group share a house never have sex? Same concept. Ya'll weird af :haha:

And mhays is spot on as usual. These are crucially necessary and if they are unpopular no one will build more. Of course that isn't happening

Will the indignities never end? What's next? They'll clean up after you? Change your diapers?

People without college degrees aren't moving to these places in any appreciable numbers.

If you mean people who have now graduated from college, sure. Although I do think a fair number of these units are meant to attract rich undergrads/grad students, thus functioning as a private dorm. Still, these are people who really should be used to independent living by this point in their lives, with at least a few years out of Mom & Dad's house. Again, the basement dwellers aren't picking these places.

I could have done a micro unit when I was in my early 20s, but I had no issue finding affordable places to live when I was that age. I lived in DC in 2003, and paid $525 per month for a studio in Capitol Hill for crissakes.

But all of the weird, dorm-like social functions are another thing entirely. As an introvert, those sort of forced social functions always skeeved me out. When I go home, I want to be alone, unless I'm bringing a date back. Socializing is for when you're outside in the city.

Agreed on the social aspect. And I'm not talking about this company in particular. In general, micro housing is important in expensive cities because the cheap housing of yesteryear doesn't exist today. In a city of $1,800 one-bedroom apartments (if new, well-located, and woodframe), a micro might be half the size and 60% of the rent.

From someone who actually lived at Urby on Staten Island, it is an apartment building. Units are all self-contained with food floors, nice tiled baths with good hot water and included all appliances including a washer/dryer. The communal kitchen and other areas are no different than the things I have now in my building in midtown Atlanta - you can use them if you want to; other just hide in your apartment. The most important thing for me was I was moving from Atlanta and had a dog. The only other places I could find that would let me have my dog, had a washer/dryer, dishwasher, etc. was at least an hour subway ride to my office in Battery Park on the 1, the 4/5/6 or the R. Plus, Urby on Staten is right on the water with great views of the Verrazano, Lower Manhattan, and Brookyln from the large waterfront park which was great when walking the dog. The only thing missing was a decent grocery store in walking distance (Western Beef was - interesting), but you could just stop at Key Foods in Tompkinsville on the way home from the ferry which is one stop from St. George. The ferry was also a nice commute once you boarded. I'd still probably be living there if my work hadn't transferred me back to Atlanta.