When developers Seth Weissman and his brother, Matthew, started Weissman Equities in 2008, they focused on mixed-use and multi-family buildings in New York. Now, with their new PAD project, they are putting their own spin on micro units: five newly completed units of the twenty that will go on the market in the next six months at 2299 Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Boulevard will be micro-apartments”between 175 and 225 square feet, available from $1,400 to $1,600 a month, and will come furnished. Here’s a “before” photo of the 225-square-foot unit 4A. Photo: Courtesy of Weissman Equities
The forlorn, A Streetcar Named Desire“esque unit 4A before the Weissmans got to work. Photo: Courtesy of Weissman Equities
A view from the same vantage point, but it looks like an entirely different room. This 225-square-foot space has everything you could want, except for one thing. It’s just down the hall and shared with another tenant. Three guesses. Photo: Elizabeth Dooley
Hint: the door shown here doesn’t lead there. Photo: Elizabeth Dooley
Dual-action furniture”like this luxurious Murphy bed”is crucial when living in tiny spaces. Photo: Elizabeth Dooley
A “before” photo of the 195-square-foot unit 3A. “We saw a shift in how people were living and adapted the existing housing stock to meet their needs,” Seth says. “For example, tenants are putting up walls in living rooms and dining rooms to lower the rent and create private spaces with a shared bathroom. People are more willing to share bathrooms and kitchen spaces with strangers.” Photo: Courtesy of Weissman Equities
The same view of 3A after the renovation. The range and refrigerator are by Summit, the microwave by Frigidaire, the kitchen faucet by Delta Mandolin, and the backsplash is Merola glass subway tile. Photo: Elizabeth Dooley
Here’s one of the two-and-a-half shared bathrooms, which are professionally cleaned three times a week. “Low rent is certainly a big plus,” Matthew notes, “but we think the biggest plus is that we’ve done all the hard work for the occupant. These units come with everything a single person needs: a desk”slash”dining table, sofa-slash-bed, dresser, and shelves, along with a wall-mounted flat-screen TV.” Another plus: Utilities are included. Photo: Elizabeth Dooley
