Comments on: City’s proposed microhousing rules now en route to council

By: Diane

Diane — Mon, 14 Apr 2014 20:22:52 +0000

Jan; typically there are 8 pods/rooms around a common kitchen
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yes bolo; if true

By: bolo

bolo — Mon, 14 Apr 2014 06:04:39 +0000

Lots of reasons to not like them.

But:::::::::::::

“Only 1 Loft Left! Micro studio”

(if true) SOMEBODY must like them! At those rates!

By: JanS

JanS — Mon, 14 Apr 2014 05:00:33 +0000

and say there are 4-6 of these mini-whatevers in a group sharing one kitchen, and they all want to cook at 6-7pm after work. Or make breakfast at the same time…something more substantial than something made in a micro (and better for them) – something and someone is going to clash. They are all asking you to give up a modicum of privacy and they’re charging for it.

By: JanS

JanS — Mon, 14 Apr 2014 04:53:39 +0000

hahaha…that second one, in it’s ad, says that it has a “patio entrance”. That means an entrance directly off the street, not in a secure bldg. On Capitol Hill, I think it would leave you vulnerable to break-ins…the doors look like they are glass.

By: Diane

Diane — Mon, 14 Apr 2014 03:42:11 +0000

here are the official trademarked apodments
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you have to climb up a ladder to the sleeping loft
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I wonder if the 300ft includes the loft area
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so these are supposed to be affordable???? It’s $1,350/mo
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http://seattle.craigslist.org/see/apa/4412306302.html

By: Diane

Diane — Mon, 14 Apr 2014 03:27:43 +0000

and this one is very similar to the one footprint has built on Avalon near 35th, next to the 7/11; this looks to be 6 floors, no elevator; therefore not ADA
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http://seattle.craigslist.org/see/apa/4413609839.html
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you can see the “convenience counter” just a few feet from the twin bed

By: Diane

Diane — Mon, 14 Apr 2014 03:23:25 +0000

here you go Jan; sample ad by footprint microhousing
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falsely advertising this as a “loft” and “micro-studio” and “Mini Suites”
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for only $1062
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and that tiny counter with tiny sink, they’re calling a “convenience counter” (it’s not a kitchen; there is a pic of the shared kitchen)
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footprint also never shows the square footage of these tiny rooms
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pretty darn sure these are not LEED certified, but they say “Our buildings are built to L.E.E.D. Platinum Certified standards” to make it appear as if they are, with tricky wording
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the title says “ALL UTILITIES INCLUDED” but the details in the ad “cable and phone available through local providers”
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so rent plus cable/phone would be more like $1162/mo, for a teeny tiny room (granted some may not want cable or landline, so it would “only” be $1062)
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and all their ads say at the bottom “We are not an aPodment or aPodments!”
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“aPodment” may be trademarked, but these are exactly the same as aPodments
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http://seattle.craigslist.org/see/apa/4413624590.html
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“Only 1 Loft Left! Micro studio”
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“Our suites have private bathrooms and convenience counter”

By: JanS

JanS — Sun, 13 Apr 2014 04:33:57 +0000

yes..and about that rent…nothing “micro” about that, huh. I get the feeling, Diane, that one of these is NOT in our future…..

By: Diane

Diane — Sat, 12 Apr 2014 19:26:01 +0000

and something that never gets mentioned in any city discussions of microhousing with common kitchen, that I thought about a lot this past winter (as a health/safety expert), what happens when one person gets the flu, and has to use the common kitchen because there is none inside their room? Flu germs are on the fridge handle, the kitchen faucet handle, on the stove handles; coughing/sneezing covers a much wider area than most people think, so virtually every inch of the common kitchen could be covered in flu germs; and in no time, everyone in a “unit” of pods has the flu
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I know during flu season that germs are everywhere, but at least when I am most ill, most contagious, I can use my own kitchen in my own apt without spreading germs to anyone else

By: Diane

Diane — Sat, 12 Apr 2014 19:24:40 +0000

@JanS; the newly proposed rule that TR listed:
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“Micro” means a room or rooms located within a micro-housing unit that includes a sleeping room and has all of the following characteristics:
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c. does NOT contain a food preparation area or kitchen”
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some apodment/microhousing developers are already getting around this rule by installing a tiny counter with tiny sink and tiny microwave and then calling it a micro-studio apt
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there is still a common kitchen for all residents to use; but (c) allows them to play with the rules, to slap a hot-plate on a 12 inch counter and call it a kitchen; the rule related to definition of a “food preparation area or kitchen” inside the tiny room needs more detail, more clarity; what about a fridge in the room? “food prep area” does not spell out what specifics are required within the room to call it a “room” within a “unit”, or what specifics are required within the room to call it a “studio apt” aka it’s own separate “unit”; does (c) allow the developer to say “there’s a common kitchen where everyone can store their food, AND each room has it’s own food prep area with a hot plate and/or microwave, and by the new city rules, we are now allowed to call that a studio apt?”, and therefore charge a lot more for rent
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it’s been interesting to see how many of the microhousing projects already built, have circumvented all kinds of rules that are required of most housing projects because they got through DPD by defining each floor of 8 pods as a unit, and most/all got the MFTE 12 yr tax credit, calling them affordable (so they’re not even contributing any taxes to pay for street parking or buses); but then when it comes to actual renting, many of their ads then call the rooms/pods a “studio apt”, and do not even list the square footage, and the rents range from $850-$1300
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and guess what; since the city was not willing to put a moratorium on these a year ago when all this came to light, and the city has taken FOREVER to come up with even this meager set of new rules, the apodments have all just kept on getting permitted and built; so in WS we now have at least 5 built or in the process under the old rules

By: Diane

Diane — Sat, 12 Apr 2014 19:21:56 +0000

@datamuse; where are the ones you mention? If on Cap Hill, it can work well; there is ample bus service there; in WS, we are already severely lacking in bus service, with overloaded buses; with 4,000+ apts and microhousing rooms being added with little or zero parking, ALL these people will expect to take the bus; we do not have enough bus service for the people here already; without more bus service, people will get back in their cars and drive, because they have to get to their job (or school); that is the #1 problem imo
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these projects are also allowed to discriminate against people with disabilities and seniors who need affordable housing; they have no elevators (another big savings for the developer); the nearly completed microhousing project next to 7/11 is 7 stories

By: datamuse

datamuse — Sat, 12 Apr 2014 17:31:18 +0000

Actually I’ve talked with quite a few people who like these. Mostly professionals who work long hours and don’t cook much, or students (who similarly work long hours and don’t cook much). Most of them don’t have cars, either.
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I’m trying to figure out what’s inherently bad about rooming houses, since a lot of people seem to think so.

By: Ex-Westwood Resident

Ex-Westwood Resident — Sat, 12 Apr 2014 16:51:43 +0000

I think it’s time that a citizens initiative gets rolling stipulating that for every multi residential apartment building being built, there is a requirement that 75% of the units have at least one parking space and those that don’t, have a stipulation in the lease that the leasee WILL NOT own, or purchase a vehicle while renting a non-parking space unit. Those units without a parking space will have a secure lock space assigned to the unit big enough for a scooter or bike to be stored in.

By: Mike

Mike — Sat, 12 Apr 2014 15:04:18 +0000

Makes my dorm room in Waller Hall at WSU seem like a high class living space.

http://housing.wsu.edu/reshall/waller

By: Gene

Gene — Sat, 12 Apr 2014 14:47:00 +0000

Basically a rooming house- or hostel!
Hopefully this will be for those who really- truly have no car & no intention of owning one. Those that would use- say- car-to-go– or flex car if they need a car on occasion.