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Zoning for Micro Apartments
<br />By David Morley, AICP
<br />There are few symbols of consumption as
<br />conspicuous as a giant new home. But
<br />"living large" isn't for everyone. Over the
<br />past several years, interest in small
<br />living spaces has inspired widespread
<br />media coverage of tiny houses (see the
<br />November 2015 edition of Zoning Practice)
<br />and micro apartments.
<br />While there is no authoritative defini-
<br />tion of micro apartment, most commentators
<br />reserve this label for new multifamily resi-
<br />dences with less than 40o square feet of
<br />living space. Typically, these are efficiency
<br />dwelling units (also known as "studio" apart-
<br />ments) with a single combined living, dining,
<br />and sleeping room. Even though 40o square
<br />feet is smaller than most two -car garages,
<br />this is considered spacious in some markets.
<br />Consequently, the more relevant concept is
<br />size relative to market norms. The term "micro
<br />apartment" is probably saved for efficiency
<br />units that are at least 20 percent smaller than
<br />the average size in the area (i.e., a specific
<br />neighborhood, district, or city).
<br />Few communities address micro apart-
<br />ments (or an analogous term) explicitly in
<br />their zoning codes. However, many zoning
<br />codes make it physically impossible or finan-
<br />cially infeasible to build very small efficiency
<br />dwelling units. The purposes of this article
<br />are to highlight why rising demand for micro
<br />apartments may merit zoning changes, and
<br />to summarize how a small number of cities
<br />have amended their codes to add definitions,
<br />use permissions, and additional standards
<br />to sanction smaller dwelling units than
<br />would otherwise be permissible.
<br />THE MARKET FOR MICRO APARTMENTS
<br />The primary forces driving demand for very
<br />small apartments in cities are demographic
<br />changes and real estate market dynam-
<br />ics. The maturation of millennia's (those
<br />born between about1982 and 2004) and
<br />the retirement of the baby boomers (born
<br />between 1946 and 1964) has changed
<br />demand for housing in many urban neighbor-
<br />hoods. These large generations are driving
<br />population growth in many cities, and so far,
<br />housing markets have been slow to respond
<br />to pent-up demand.
<br />Demographic Change
<br />In 1957—at the height of the postwar baby
<br />boom —the average household size in the
<br />U.S. was 3.33 persons. By 2017, this number
<br />had fallen to 2.54 persons (U.S. Census
<br />Bureau 2o17a). The reasons are clear: An
<br />increasing percentage of women are choos-
<br />ing to delay or forgo marriage and childbirth
<br />in favor of educational attainment and career
<br />advancement.
<br />However, smaller families haven't
<br />typically led to smatter homes. In fact, the
<br />average size of a newly constructed single-
<br />family home in the U.S. increased from 1,660
<br />square feet in 1973 to a peak of 2,687 square
<br />feet in 2015, a more than 6o percent gain
<br />(U.S. Census Bureau 2o17b). This doesn't tell
<br />the whole story, though.
<br />Between 196o and 2017, the percentage
<br />of single -person households increased from
<br />13 to 28 percent (U.S. Census Bureau 2o17a).
<br />The trend is more dramatic in large cities.
<br />According to the most recent estimates,
<br />people living alone account for 33 percent
<br />of all households in the 25 most populous
<br />cities (U.S. Census Bureau 2017c). Generally,
<br />Percent of households
<br />with one person
<br />35%
<br />30%
<br />25%
<br />20%
<br />15%
<br />10%
<br />these individuals are not the target market
<br />for new detached single-family residences.
<br />In these cities, 57 percent of single -person
<br />householders are renters, and this figure
<br />jumps to 87 percent for householders under
<br />the age of 35.
<br />Market Dynamics
<br />As the percentage of single -person house-
<br />holds increases, we need significantly more
<br />dwelling units to house the same number of
<br />people. In cities with growing populations,
<br />this means more multifamily residences. For
<br />built -out cities, the math only works if you
<br />can fit more units in the same building foot-
<br />print. And that's exactly what's happening.
<br />Across the country, the average unit
<br />size for large multifamily developments is
<br />dropping, and efficiency apartments have
<br />shrunk the most (Otet 2016). In 2006, the
<br />average size of an efficiency apartment in a
<br />building or complex with more than 5o units
<br />was 614 square feet. By 2016, this had fallen
<br />to 504 square feet, an 18 percent decrease.
<br />According to an Urban Land Institute sur-
<br />vey of current micro -apartment residents, 82
<br />Number of one person
<br />households (in thousands)
<br />40,000
<br />1 l I 1 1 I I I III I I I 1 I l I 1 1 l 1 I l 1 1 1 1 1 1( I l l l l 1 l l , 1 t l 1
<br />1960 1965 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010
<br />35,000
<br />30,000
<br />25,000
<br />20,000
<br />15,000
<br />10,000
<br />5,000
<br />0
<br />2017
<br />Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Current Population Survey,'Annual Social and Economic Supplements, 1960 to 2017.
<br />Living alone used to be relatively uncommon in the U.S.
<br />ZONINGPRACTICE 3.18
<br />AMERICAN PLANNING ASSOCIATION I page 2
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