The two big selling points for micro-apartments in Boston are (a) affordability and (b) communality. In other words, the tiny units are to be cheaper than traditional Boston apartments and the lack of personal space will be made up for by being able to hang out in common areas, from roof decks and cafes to yoga studios and pools.
As we discovered on Thursday, not everyone shares the same conception of affordability when it comes to Boston micro-apartments. A 600-square-foot innovation unit at the converted shoe factory at 63 Melcher Street in Fort Point wants $2,299 a month, more than the median for all apartments in most neighborhoods in Boston proper. And there has never been any indication amid the talk about micro-apartments in Boston, whether from the private sector building them or the public sector cheering them on, about how much they will, in fact, cost tenants and buyers. They're always described in some vein of "more affordable."
Now, to the communality. Micro-apartments, whether in Boston or elsewhere, like New York and Seattle, are being designed and touted with the idea that people will be comfortable routinely hanging about their building and not necessarily in their home—one they might be paying above market rate for. Call us misanthropic, but we don't see that as any less magical thinking than the "more affordable" bit. No one knows, but yet that's the approach: "Here's a small apartment that costs as much or more than a bigger one nearby—but there's a Keurig down the hall!"
Anyways, the phone lines are open. We want to hear your thoughts on micro-apartments in Boston.
· Living Small Mantra Hitting Boston [Herald]
· 10 Things Cheaper Than a Boston Micro-Apartment's Rent [Curbed Boston]
· Here's How Much Micro-Apartments in Southie Could Go For [Curbed Boston]
· Our Rent Check archive [Curbed Boston]
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