In downtown Syracuse, N.Y., an office-turned-multifamily project is getting underway. When finished, the office’s top floor will have 21 residential microunits surrounding expansive common areas.
Founder Troy Evans cringes at the word “dorm,” CityLab reports, though he likens the project, called Commonspace, to a dormitory for working Millennials. “We’re trying to combine an affordable apartment with this community style of living, rather than living by yourself in a one-bedroom in the suburbs,” 35-year-old Evans told CityLab.
The idea was inspired by Evans’ experience living in a one-bedroom in a Philadelphia suburb after graduating from college, and remembering how lonely it was.
What makes Commonspace different from communes or co-ops is the availability to have more privacy due to heavily sound-proofed walls, private bathrooms, and kitchenettes with each microunit, and modern amenities such as a game room.
There are several other similar projects: Pure House in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, and the startup Krash, which operates in Boston, New York, and D.C.