Skyrocketing rent has pushed WeHo residents into smaller and smaller living spaces — but how small is too small?
Tonight, the Planning Commission will review new definitions and standards for studio apartments and “micro-units,” which according to the proposal, are any apartments smaller than 425 square feet. West Hollywood hopes the new regulations will help diversify its housing stock, promoting the development of new accommodations that support various household sizes, types and incomes.
But while the staff report for tonight’s meeting mentions that micro-units generally can be found ranging from 325 to 425 square feet in size, there does not appear to be any minimum size requirement in the new regulations — meaning developers potentially would be free to build and lease out even smaller spaces. The Long-Range Planning Subcommittee recommended a minimum of 250 to 300 square feet, but their recommendation was apparently rejected.
In New York City, the smallest legally allowable size for an apartment must include at least one room that is at least 150 square feet. This requirement is set by the NYC Building Code and applies to all dwelling units. This minimum size does not include space for a kitchen, bathroom, or closets, which must also be present in the apartment. In San Francisco, the minimum size for an apartment is generally 220 square feet. This includes space for a kitchen and a bathroom, as required by local building codes. However, some micro-apartments and pilot projects have explored even smaller living spaces, but these often require special approvals and are not the norm.
Currently, Single Room Occupancy (SRO) units are defined in the West Hollywood Municipal Code (WHMC) as residential facilities that provide secure rooms for one or two persons, with individual or shared kitchen and/or bathroom facilities, typically rented on a monthly basis or longer. The proposed Zone Text Amendment seeks to establish distinct and comprehensive regulations for studio and micro-units to ensure quality design and livability.
Specifically, the proposed amendment will define micro-units and studio units as a dwelling unit of 425 square feet or less, including a kitchen, living space, sleeping quarters, storage space and private bathroom facilities. A studio unit will be defined as a dwelling unit larger than 425 square feet, which combines kitchen, living space, sleeping quarters and storage space in one room, along with private bathroom facilities.
All studio and micro-units must include a separate, private bathroom within the unit. The bathroom must have a toilet, sink, and shower or shower/bathtub facility. Each unit must also feature a kitchen area, which must include a sink, two-burner cooktop, countertops and storage cabinets. The units should be designed to accommodate two persons per bathroom, not including children.
Private open space for micro-units must be provided at a ratio of 70 square feet per dwelling unit, as recommended by the City’s Urban Design and Architecture Studio (UDAS). Additionally, common open space must be provided based on the number of units in a project, ensuring that residents of smaller units still benefit from shared amenities.
Parking requirements for micro-units will be regulated by Chapter 19.28 (Off-Street Parking and Loading Standards), with micro-units being added to the existing parking regulations for studio units. One parking space is required for units up to 500 square feet, and 1.5 spaces for units larger than 500 square feet.
Each unit must have dedicated storage space of at least 60 cubic feet for clothing and linens, in addition to separate pantry and utility closet spaces. This requirement aims to address basic needs and livability within smaller units, which might otherwise lack dedicated interior storage.
For larger developments, proposals must include plans for general operations, onsite security and 24-hour onsite management, complying with state regulations. These units will be permissible in R2, R3, and R4 multifamily zones, and in residential or mixed-use projects in commercial zones, including CN1, CC, CA, CR, and SSP.
Getting rid of the parking. No size too small for a place to live. Has anyone noticed that the $110 million park renovation has no lights and instead Burns diesel fuel all night to light up the place? These folks have to stop with the social engineering. Focus on saving the water from the aquifer that the developers at Melrose and Almont hit. Go to that corner and you’ll see all the water going into the drain. That will cause sinkholes elsewhere by the way. Who approved that massive project anyway? Why isn’t the county investigating? I may have answered… Read more »
West Hollywood doesn’t need a minimum unit size because it’s already in the California Building Code. Section R304.5 requires that units provide 220 square feet of living space plus a bathroom and a closet, so the smallest units are probably about 250 to 275 sq ft. To call these “tenements” shows a misunderstanding of the current market and/or historical conditions. One person in a reasonably sized and well-appointed apartment is not the same as five or more people in an overcrowded 19th century apartment. Modern residential buildings also have tons of common amenities, like lounges, gyms, coworking spaces, and rooftop… Read more »
They were all over the place on this one. Including spending 40 minutes talking about refrigerator size and 20 minutes getting schooled by staff about State parking rules. Thankfully their decision means nothing.
I have no issues with these smaller apartments. Not everyone needs a big apartment and they can be affordable for people who want to live in West Hollywood. If we want to solve our housing problem we need to be creative.
WeHo has no real grasp on quality of life. This is short minded thinking that will become a new standard in our town.
In a few years the prices of these motel room sized places will be thousands of dollars per month and push the cost the regular sized apartments even higher than they are now because that’s how market forces work when there is no regulation.
These pin head city officials must be replaced with real adults.
It’s exhausting going from fits and starts with neat ideas.
That is the idea… quality of life has not gotten one bit better since this new Council has been installed. The same crack sidewalks and overgrown hedges make walking around more difficult. Everywhere smells like dog pee. Forget about the carbon footprint of these pets. I wish that the lucky vendors who get to use the law at Crescent Heights and Santa Monica would sweep the sidewalk once in awhile and be a good neighbor. I also wish there was a left turn arrow. I also wish the pickup ran door in the week.
Exactly. This “solution” is the brain child of greed and lack of vision. Microunits have measurable negative psychological impacts, destroy parking accessibility, and more generally move the bar for housing developers to a dangerous new low.
No minimums means say goodbye to all of the older housing stock. You will hand the developers a huge gift. They will demolish old buildings and quadruple the occupancy by adding floors and creating many more of these closets. Where will the insanity end? I hope people reject this concept and they have problems renting them
Go live somewhere else. Who would live like this?
one dude on the commission for sure will say any size is ok, as long as there are 1,000s of them (with no parking)
So Wetherly Palms would have never been approved under these new rules? Or would state law for affordable housing still trump local rules?
So we’re going backwards towards tenements?!
Yes.
Personally sat in a city planning session over a weekend 10 years ago. It was unanimous that micro units should be pushed way back then. The City buried them. If we want life back on our streets and in cafes and to support local economy and provide labor housing this is the solution. People all over the world want to live here of every age and it presently is unattainable. Personally I would like to see the city require 500-1000 of these units before more multi million units are built. Incentivize the developers and it will happen. Put them in… Read more »
Check out Zillow: Tiny studio in Chelsea Manhattan, “where people all over the world want to live”, $3,000/month. You mean like that?
Progressive means progressively worse quality of life.
Good, an apartment doesn’t have be 1000 sq ft in size, as long as one is mindful of clutter, 250 to 350 sq ft apartments have enough space for a single person. What you are getting is the opportunity to live in West Hollywood and there is plenty to do in the city that it’s not like one is always in their apartment. Plus by having a smaller apartment one also has lower cooling, water and renters insurance.