New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced today that a team that includes local firm nARCHITECTS has won a competition to design a micro-unit apartment building for a publicly owned lot in Manhattan. The city launched the competition in July to spur the development of small residential spaces tailored to the financial needs of young professionals. "Three quarters of Manhattan is one- or two-person households," said the Mayor at a press conference this morning. "But we just don't have enough apartments that are the appropriate size for them."
Monadnock Development and the Actors Fund Housing Development Corporation worked with nARCHITECTS on the proposal, titled My Micro NY, which calls for a 10-story building with 55 rental units that range from 250 to 370 square feet. Squeezing in such tiny apartments required waiving size and density requirements under the city's zoning code. "If the pilot is as successful as we think it will be, it will help make the case for regulatory changes to meet the housing demands of the 21st century," said Bloomberg. The $15-million project is slated to break ground this year and be completed in 2015.
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