Micro Units in the Future?

Boston – Latest reports from Biznow indicate that Boston’s  waterfront  has 300 micro units planned.Boston Redevelopment Authority manager for innovation district projects Nicole Fichera says that city planners are suggesting developers build smaller apartments—350sf to 700sf—with shared amenities.
First on the market is Gerding Edlen’s Factory  63 , located in the Fort Point Channel historic district of South Boston,  with 38 units, including 23 micros ranging from 350sf to 500sf.
After a few weeks of leasing, only three of 23 innovation units—and two of the six market rate apartments—remain, according to Kelly Saito, Gerding Edlen president.
The $193 million, 369-apartment 100 Pier 4—which includes 50 micro units—began construction in December, and they’re the first ones Hanover Group has built. Creating a layout for narrow units in a building designed for traditional apartments was a challenge according to the firm’s David Hall.  The solution was  interlocking L-shaped units most of which are clustered on the first three floors around a business center and community area to foster impromptu meetings. Construction is scheduled to be complete in early 2015.
ADD Inc designed 100 Pier 4, and is doing Skanska Commercial Development’s 340-apartment community at the Seaport, both with micro units. There’s extra initial cost to building this way, says Fred Kramer, the firm’s president, since there are more kitchens, bathrooms, walls, doors, plumbing, and other components. But the advantages are: more units per GSF, youth appeal, the least costly market rate apartments, and Class-A amenities. Micro units also fetch higher rents psf.