[mhays]

That's odd. Seattle has a mini-trend of mini-units going up down to 150 square feet or so. These are basically SRO buildings, that often have additional shared kitchens outside the units themselves, which have kitchenettes.

Here's a detailed presentation for one scheduled for design review tomorrow, a mile east of Downtown. Per page 12 (worth reading) it'll have 45 units ranging from 155 to 277 sf with no parking and apparently no extra shared kitchens. http://www.seattle.gov/dpd/AppDocs/GroupMeetings/DRProposal3013256AgendaID3680.pdf

These guys run several similar buildings often near Downtown or the UW: http://apodment.com/

 

[mhays]

Here's another one in design review next week, with more detailed unit floor plans. They look exactly like single-person dorm rooms. 62 units and no parking. Assuming 75% of the gross floor area is living units, they average a little under 200 sf each.

http://www.seattle.gov/dpd/AppDocs/GroupMeetings/DRProposal3013403AgendaID3690.pdf

 

[mhays]

In the link, they say it's for the "regional student and young professional population." It's a private development.

The UW is building thousands of dorm beds a few blocks away....700 opened last summer, 700 this summer, 800 with cranes up, another starting this summer.... It's one of the few types of public projects that's easy to fund, as the students simply vote to pay for it with student fees.