A New Type of Co-Living

• July 31, 2015

by Tianna Mañón

Rendering of a proposed unit in a WeWork/WeLive building in Crystal City

On Friday, The New York Times reported on Pure House, a luxury commune of sorts where young adults pay to not only rent a room, but also have access to a variety of outside-the-box amenities.

It’s a step away from the communes of the past, as deluxe rentals can go for up to $4,000 per month for a bedroom in a larger home that can be shared with as many as six roommates. However, for that rental rate tenants also have access to yoga classes, personal coaching, fresh produce and wellness counseling. There are also pop-up dinner parties organized by a contestant from Iron Chef.

From The New York Times:

For a certain set of New Yorkers, often new arrivals to the city with an income but no rental history, Pure House offers something of a reprieve. No credit check. No draconian rules about earning 40 times the monthly rent. No 12-month lease. Instead, they sign a 30-day membership agreement, paying from $1,600 to $4,000 a month for a room in an apartment to be shared with others who, theoretically, have a similar worldview.

While the DC area is still a ways off from offering this type of living arrangement to incoming millennials, there are projects that focus on the co-living environment.

WeLive, the residential offering from office-sharing company WeWork, has a design for a mixed-use building in Crystal City where the company’s offices will be located on the first few floors and residences will be located on the upper floors. Most of the units will be studios but the company is hoping to foster a more social environment with expansive common areas, commercial-grade kitchens, and dining areas scattered throughout the building.

This article originally published at http://dc.urbanturf.com/articles/blog/millennials_use_co-living_to_further_change_the_real_estate_landscape/10199