Long Island City seems to be swimming in new developments, but a new 426-unit complex aims to cater to people who are interested in moving in with total strangers.
Located at 29-26 Northern Blvd., the complex will be operated by Ollie, a company that runs “micro-suites with hotel-style services.” According to an article in the The New York Times, 13 of the 42 floors will be dedicated to two- and three-bedroom shared suites and the company claims this project will be the “largest ground-up co-living development in North America.”
Each apartment will be configured a little differently than the average two- or three-bedroom unit. Instead of having a larger living room or common area, the bedrooms will be bigger – they’ll range from 90 to 187 square feet. The units will also come equipped with convertible furniture like a bed that residents can convert to a sofa, a built-in armoire and a wall-mounted television.
Each roommate will also be able to control his or her room temperature and each room will be soundproofed. Normally, the soundproofing is installed between each unit instead of each room.
All co-living units will have a kitchen and one or two bathrooms but no living room. Ollie believes that most roommates will spend most of their time in their rooms or one of the communal amenity spaces.
The remaining floors will feature traditional rentals and the fourth floor will be primarily used for amenities such as an indoor pool. Rent at the co-living unit will start at $1,450 a month per room and will include Wi-Fi, cable, all the furnishings and weekly housekeeping. The price will also include social events like mixers, guest lectures, weekend brunch and yoga.
For those who want to find a roommate but don’t know where to start, Ollie has developed an app called Bedvetter to match potential roommates. Pre-leasing will start in October and construction is slated to finish in January 2018.
