Micro-studios need friendly zoning to succeed, but it turns out a high-density, more attainably priced solution has been code compliant all along, according to NYC-based Stage 3 Properties founding partners (and brothers) Chris and Andrew Bledsoe (flanking Resource Furniture's Steve Spett, above, on a tour of the Capsys facility at the Brooklyn Navy Yard). The NYC-based firm’s shared micro-suites model has received a green light from NYC's Department of Buildings. They say micro-suites are ideal for a city where roommate-based living is already the norm for young people and where studios under 400 SF are banned. Units are two- (475 SF) and three-bedroom (700 SF) furnished suites with shared kitchens and bathrooms, which means about 235 SF/occupant.

Because of the shared kitchen and bathroom spaces (the most expensive to build), micro-suites can offer more competitive rents than the typical micro studio, plus they give developers access to a large segment of tenants that currently operates largely underground (i.e. on Craigslist), Chris and Andrew tell us. The micro-suite units are designed to appeal to young people who would otherwise look to rent a room, and with Stage 3’s roommate-compatibility software (think eHarmony for roommates), there’s no creep factor and unpredictability. Nearly 50 micro-suite beds will debut this fall as part of Stage 3’s 200-unit conversion on the Upper West Side. The brothers are also working on ground-up projects in areas like Long Island City, Hudson Yards, and Southern Westchester County.