Renters don’t just want nice apartments; they want communities packed with amenities

As more people are choosing to rent deeper into their lives than ever before, the things people expect from an apartment unit and a rental community are changing. For many, apartment living is no long a stop along the way, but a viable option for people who do not find homeownership appealing. Because of this, what people expect out of apartment communities has changed, as well.

As The Washington Post reports, people expect to get many of the same luxuries found in single-family homes in their apartments. Things like granite countertops, washers and dryers, and high-end fixtures are all becoming the norm. However, many people are willing to sacrifice some living space and the luxuries that come with it for a community packed with amenities, and the socializing that comes with those amenities.

The results from the National Apartment Association survey found that of the top 10 community amenities, five of them involve bringing people together. Clubhouses and common areas for socializing, fitness centers, business centers, and pet-friendly amenities were all included.

Studies about which amenities renters prefer help to design communities with the type of things they will actually pay for, eliminating some of the issues associated with what building owners provide, and what renters want.

BD+C's sibling publication, Multifamily Design + Construction, is conducting its own survey of designers, contractors, builders, and developers on what amenities they have specified in the last 24 months. Please take 3-4 minute to take the survey yourself. Click here to get started.

The Tampa Bay Rays Major League Baseball team announced that it has reached an agreement with St. Petersburg and Pinellas County on a $6.5 billion, 86-acre mixed-use development that will include a new 30,000-seat ballpark and an array of office, housing, hotel, retail, and restaurant space totaling 8 million sf.

Engineers | Sep 15, 2023

NIST investigation of Champlain Towers South collapse indicates no sinkhole

Investigators from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) say they have found no evidence of underground voids on the site of the Champlain Towers South collapse, according to a new NIST report. The team of investigators have studied the site’s subsurface conditions to determine if sinkholes or excessive settling of the pile foundations might have caused the collapse.

MFPRO+ Research | Sep 11, 2023

Conversions of multifamily dwellings to ‘mansions’ leading to dwindling affordable stock

Small multifamily homes have historically provided inexpensive housing for renters and buyers, but developers have converted many of them in recent decades into larger, single-family units. This has worsened the affordable housing crisis, say researchers.

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Adaptive Reuse | Aug 31, 2023

New York City creates team to accelerate office-to-residential conversions

New York City has a new Office Conversion Accelerator Team that provides a single point of contact within city government to help speed adaptive reuse projects. Projects that create 50 or more housing units from office buildings are eligible for this new program.