The expansion means two Seattle buildings: One in Capitol Hill, the other in First Hill
Common, a New York-based company that specializes in “coliving” buildings with private rooms and shared resources, announced Monday it’d be operating two vintage buildings renovated by Anew Apartments: one in Capitol Hill and the other in First Hill.
Coliving spaces have cropped up more and more often in denser cities. Kind of a cross between a traditional SRO, a microstudio, and a home with roommates, Common’s coliving facilities feature fully furnished private rooms with kitchenettes (in some cases, full kitchens) and bathrooms, but more feature-rich shared facilities like kitchens and lounges, plus programming for residents to get to know one another.
These two buildings are the first Common will be operating in Seattle, but the company has 18 other buildings in San Francisco, New York, Chicago, and Washington, DC.
Rent, which starts at around $1,200 in the Seattle facilities, comes with Wi-Fi and basic necessities like paper towels, toilet paper, coffee, trash bags, soap, and other finite resources that roomies would typically argue over. Common areas are cleaned weekly. Residents can switch rooms if they’re not a fan of their particular set of roomies.
Courtesy of Common
Rooms in Common’s Seattle buildings include furnishings, kitchenettes, and private bathrooms.
The two Seattle facilities, previously marketed as just microstudios, differ in a few ways. Capitol Hill’s building, the Summit (previously rickety artist magnet the Summit Inn), will have 49 rooms, some with private balconies. The First Hill community, Terry (previously the Broadmore Apartments), is larger, with 112 rooms and a shared roof deck with barbecues.
Both have energy-efficient features: the Summit with a rooftop solar array and Terry with National Green Building Standard Silver certification.
Courtesy of Common
Common has already started leasing the Terry building. The Summit, which was already open before Common stepped in, will have management taken over by Common soon.
- Anew Apartments [Anew]
This article has been corrected to reflect an accurate starting rent price ($1,200) and to correct a mention of “free laundry” (there isn’t free laundry, it turns out).