Multifamily developers offering new car-free projects in car-centric cities

Cities in the South and Southwest have eased zoning rules with parking space mandates in recent years to allow developers to build new housing with less parking.

Building large-scale residential developments that reduce or eliminate parking yields walkable neighborhoods that appeal to a significantly sized cohort of renters, according to a report by Bloomberg. Not having to build parking structures greatly reduces the cost of such projects. An estimate of the median cost of a parking structure in the U.S. in 2021 was $25,700 per space.

Some developers say they have passed the cost savings on to renters. One told Bloomberg that they are offering apartments at $100 to $200 below the cost of comparable units offered by competitors.

New transportation options like ride-hailing services and electric bikes and e-scooters along with cities’ embrace of paths and bike lanes have made car-free living more feasible even in cities designed with widespread car ownership in mind. Higher sticker prices on cars and the high cost of car ownership generally have also steered renters away from automobile ownership.

Grubb Properties has noted a marked decline in car usage among their renters. In its Link sub-brand of multifamily projects launched in 2013, the number of car spots utilized per bedroom has dropped from 1.4 to 0.7 over the last 10 years.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, in partnership with the National Institute of Building Sciences and MOD X, has released the Offsite Construction for Housing: Research Roadmap, a strategic report that presents the key knowledge gaps and research needs to overcome the barriers and challenges to offsite construction.

Expo at Forest Park St Louis Photo courtesy Trivers. Photo by Sam Fentress.jpg

Multifamily Housing | Feb 2, 2023

St. Louis’s first transit-oriented multifamily development opens in historic Skinker DeBaliviere neighborhood

St. Louis’s first major transit-oriented, multi-family development recently opened with 287 apartments available for rent. The $71 million Expo at Forest Park project includes a network of pathways to accommodate many modes of transportation including ride share, the region’s Metro Transit system, a trolley line, pedestrian traffic, automobiles, and bike traffic on the 7-mile St. Vincent Greenway Trail.

The San Mateo County Navigation Center represents the first built instance of the Office of Charles F. Bloszies’s “Step1” interim supportive housing system

Multifamily Housing | Feb 1, 2023

Step(1) housing: A new approach to sheltering unhoused people in Redwood City, Calif.

A novel solution to homelessness will open soon in Redwood City, Calif. The compact residential campus employs modular units to create individual sleeping units, most with private bathrooms. The 240 units of housing will be accompanied by shared services and community spaces. Instead of the congregate dorm-style shelters found in many U.S. cities, this approach gives each resident a private, lockable, conditioned sleeping space.

City skyline of Houston, Texas, at sunset

Multifamily Housing | Jan 24, 2023

Top 10 cities for downtown living in 2023

Based on cost of living, apartment options, entertainment, safety, and other desirable urban features, StorageCafe finds the top 10 cities for downtown living in 2023.

Multifamily Housing | Jan 23, 2023

Long Beach, Calif., office tower converted to market rate multifamily housing

A project to convert an underperforming mid-century office tower in Long Beach, Calif., created badly needed market rate housing with a significantly lowered carbon footprint. The adaptive reuse project, composed of 203,177 sf including parking, created 106 apartment units out of a Class B office building that had been vacant for about 10 years.

The penthouse terrace at The Row Fulton Market multifamily tower in Chicago by Related Midwest

Multifamily Housing | Jan 19, 2023

Chicago multifamily high-rise inspired by industrial infrastructure and L tracks

The recently unveiled design of The Row Fulton Market, a new Chicago high-rise residential building, draws inspiration from industrial infrastructure and L tracks in the historic Fulton Market District neighborhood. The 43-story, 300-unit rental property is in the city’s former meatpacking district, and its glass-and-steel façade reflects the arched support beams of the L tracks.