NARCHITECTS

Affordable senior housing to replace Prospect Heights parking lot

Rendering of the proposed plans for 542 Dean Street shows the new entrance to the park and public space created as part of the design for the affordable senior housing project. Courtesy of GRAPH.

August 10, 2023

Affordable senior housing to replace Prospect Heights parking lot

By Aaron Ginsburg

A plan to replace a Prospect Heights parking lot with affordable housing for low-income and homeless seniors is moving forward. The city's Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) on Tuesday announced its selection of Jobe Development, Corp., Mega Group Development, and the Institute of Community Living Room to convert a city-owned parking lot at 542 Dean Street into the residential development "Park Edge." The redevelopment is part of the Atlantic Avenue Mixed-Use Plan (AAMUP), which found a community desire for new affordable housing projects on city-owned properties.
DetaILS HERE

Affordable Housing

June 10, 2016

VIDEO: Spend a Night in a 300-Square-Foot Micro-Apartment at Carmel Place

By Dana Schulz

Just yesterday, 6sqft took a look at the available market-rate units at Carmel Place, the city's first micro-housing development. If you're debating submitting an application for one of these apartments--which at less than half the size of traditional studios are still asking from $2,570 to $3,200 per month--this video from the Times may help firm your decision. In it, reporter Penelope Green spends a night in a 302-square-foot unit that rents for $2,670 a month and features the building's host of space-saving furniture like a sofa-wall bed combo (which, though surprisingly comfortable, will give you your daily upper body workout) and a 17-inch deep desk that extends to a 10-person dining table.
Watch the full video here

New Developments

June 9, 2016

Micro-Apartments at Carmel Place Starting from $2,570 and Offering a Month Free

By Ondel Hylton

For you minimalist gurus who also relish on-site amenities, there is a now a building for you. Earlier this spring, leasing kicked off for the city's first micro-housing development, Carmel Place (formerly known as My Micro NY) at 335 East 27th Street. Developed by Monadnock Development and designed by nARCHITECTS, the newly finished no-fee building is a prototype meant to test compact and efficient living arrangements within the city's tight housing market, as well as accommodate the city’s growing population of one- and two-person households. Thee leasing team led by Citi-Habitats is offering one month free on all 12- and 24-month leases. According to CityRealty, there are seven micro-studios available ranging from 265 to 360 square feet. Though the units are nearly half the size of typical studio apartments, monthly rents are not analogously micro with current asking prices ranging from $2,570 to $2,920 per month. That's an average of $110 per square foot, significantly more than $83 per square foot median studio price in Murray Hill and $60 per square foot in Gramercy.
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March 4, 2016

Why Micro-Apartments in Carmel Place Are So Expensive

By Michelle Cohen

We’ve been hearing a lot recently about the city’s new micro-apartments. As 6sqft has reported, NYC’s first micro-apartment complex Carmel Place (formerly My Micro NY) at 335 East 27th Street began leasing at the end of last year. The nine-story modular development in Kips Bay has 55 studios that are 260 to 360 square feet. Of these, 22 are affordable and they’ll go from $950 to $1,500 a month. Market-rate units on the other end range from $2,540 to $2,910. According to CityRealty, the average rental price per square foot for New York City apartments overall is $51, while Carmel Place units ring in at $98 per square foot. The idea of micro-housing was presented, in part, to address the need for more affordable apartments. So why is it that the result is what a recent New Yorker article calls “micro-luxury" housing?
Small Is Beautiful–but Not Affordable

November 23, 2015

Listings Go Live Today for NYC’s First Micro Apartment Complex

By Dana Schulz

Carmel Place (formerly known as My Micro NY), the city's much-talked-about first micro apartment complex, began accepting applications for its affordable studios back in September (since then, 60,000 people have applied). And now, a press release from developer Monadnock has announced that listings for 12 of the market-rate units will go live today in anticipation of the February opening date. Along with the launch comes news of Ollie, "an innovative housing model that delivers an all-inclusive living experience." The nine-story modular development will have 55 studios ranging from 260 to 360 square feet, 22 of which will be affordable (of these, 8 will be set aside for formerly homeless veterans) and go for between $950 and $1,500 a month depending on family size and income. The remaining 33 will see prices ranging from $2,540 for a 265-square-foot, furnished, third-floor unit to $2,910 for a 335-square-foot, furnished, second-floor unit.
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October 28, 2015

VIDEO: Watch My Micro NY Get Built and Go Inside a Completed Unit

By Dana Schulz

6sqft reported in July that My Micro NY, the city’s first micro apartment complex, was fully stacked, reaching its 120-foot height at 335 East 27th Street on the border of Gramercy and Kips Bay. Then, just last month, it was announced that the $17 million development began accepting applications for its 260- to 360-square-foot affordable studios. Up until now, though, we've only seen renderings of the interiors, but a new trailer from the designers nArchitects takes us on a walk through of a completed unit (h/t Curbed), which, although tiny, is quite bright. The video also shows the entire construction process, beginning with fabrication at the Navy Yard to the units being stacked by crane.
Watch the video here

September 1, 2015

NYC’s First Micro Apartment Complex Now Accepting Applications, Units $950/Month

By Dana Schulz

We knew this day was quickly approaching; just a couple of months ago, we reported that My Micro NY (also known as Carmel Place), the city's first micro apartment complex, was fully stacked, reaching its 120-foot height at 335 East 27th Street on the border of Gramercy and Kips Bay. Now, Brick Underground reports that the $17 million development began accepting applications this morning for its 260- to 360-square-foot affordable studios. According to the site, the available units are "11 $950/month studios for one person earning between $34,526 and $48,350, or two people making between $34,526 and $55,250; and three $1,492/month studios for one person making between $53,109 and $78,650, or two people making between $53,109 and $89,830."
Find out how to apply here

July 9, 2015

Construction Update: NYC’s First Micro Apartment Complex Is Now Fully Stacked

By Diane Pham

Moving day inches closer for those looking to claim a module in the city's first micro apartment complex. As of this week, My Micro NY is fully stacked, rising 120 feet from its site at 335 East 27th Street at the border of Gramercy in Kips Bay. The project, also known as Carmel Place, is the product of a city-sponsored design competition launched by former mayor Michael Bloomberg in 2012 as a way to test out if micro dwellings could be an answer to the city's housing shortage, and in turn give enough reason for adjusting NY's dated building codes to allow for smaller units better suited for today's shrinking households. As it stands, the legal minimum is 400 square feet, while My Micro NY's apartments measure a mere 260 to 360 square feet.
More images of the construction

April 21, 2015

City’s First Micro-Apartment Project ‘MY Micro NY’ Ready for Stacking

By Ondel Hylton

Just in time for Earth Day, New York's first micro-unit apartment building, dubbed My Micro NY, is entering its final construction phase. When finished later this year, urbanites will have a chance to live within the center of the city in a brand new building flush with amenities, all for under $3,000. Developed by Monadnock Development and the NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development, the soon-to-be-nine-story structure wrapped up foundation work this past winter, and a one-story steel platform is ready to receive 55 modular units. The units are currently being built off-site at the Brooklyn Navy Yard by a team of 50 workers. In late May, the units will be shipped to the Gramercy Park lot at 335 East 27th Street where they will be stacked and bolted together along with stairs, an elevator, and other shared spaces.
More details ahead

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