Thursday, October 8, 2015, by Jessica Dailey
[Rendering of an apartment at 37-10 Crescent Street. By Homely.]
New York City defines a micro unit as an apartment that measures between 250 and 370 square feetthough there are plenty of units way smaller than thatso why, exactly, is a developer in Long Island City trying to pass off apartments that measure 490 to 735 square feet as micro units? The 57 apartments in question are located in a new building under construction at 37-10 Crescent Street, and the Journal says that they are “being billed as micro units, but with a twist.” The “twist” is that they are two- and three-bedroom units, and very much not micro units. It seems like developer Ranger Properties and architecture firm Fogarty Finger want to ride the trendy micro unit bandwagon, but really, they are just building small apartments.
[Rendering by Fogarty Finger]
The two-bedrooms will measure about 490 square feet, and three-bedrooms will be 735 square feet. Had they wanted to actually build micro units, the development team would have needed a zoning variance, as city zoning laws dictate a minimum unit size of 400 square feet. This was waived for the micro unit building under construction at 335 East 27th Street.
The units at 37-10 Crescent Street abide by city zoning laws, so they are not micro units, but they are definitely small. Bedrooms will be roughly 10-feet by 12-feet, and they may feature Murphy beds and built-in desks. To maximize space in the kitchen”It was more like designing a kind of boat kitchen,” said Chris Fogartythey did things like put drawers under the sink instead of a cabinet. The building will have “high-quality public amenity space” and will be complete by 2017.
· Micro Units Are Coming to Queens [WSJ]
· Yet Another New Rental Building Headed to Long Island City [Curbed]
37-10 Crescent Street
37-10 Crescent Street, Queens, NY
USA
40.7567
-73.9353
