NATION: Co-Living (aka Cooperative Housing) Coming to a City Near You?

This article came up recently in the Wall Street Journal: "Co-Living Takes on Bigger Spaces". I have been discussing cooperative housing as a solution for some time now. Indeed, I lived in a cooperative housing unit called the "Co-op" while attending UCLA. In fact, the "Co-op" (as it was unimaginatively called then, and is still called now) is still standing, and you can check on their rates. The co-op is sited on some of the most expensive land on the planet (Westwood, California), yet charges some of the lowest rates for housing anywhere.

Read about the coop as it operates today: https://www.yelp.com/biz/university-cooperative-housing-association-los-angeles-2

Here's the article (if the WSJ will let you read it): https://www.wsj.com/articles/co-living-buildings-going-big-in-brooklyn-and-bay-area-1539687600

'At co-living buildings, tenants lease tiny rooms in larger apartments shared with strangers. Renters have access to living rooms, kitchens and other common spaces, while amenities like cleaning services, dog walking and cooking classes are part of the deal.

This product, which is less than 10 years old and found primarily in large U.S. cities, represents only a tiny niche in the multibillion-dollar apartment industry. But developers are now preparing to build some of the largest new co-living properties in North America, a sign that the appeal of this type of housing could be broadening.

“Co-living’s institutional moment is now upon us,” said Chris Bledsoe, co-founder and chief executive of Ollie, which also recently opened a large co-living project with 422 bedrooms. “There’s no more flying by the seat of your pants.”'