An SRO in the famous Chelsea Hotel, featured in a 2018 6sqft story. Photo by James and Karla Murray exclusively for 6sqft.
Looking for new ways to tackle the city’s housing shortage, a New York City Council member is calling for the return of single-room occupancy units (SROs). Council Member Erik Bottcher on Tuesday introduced legislation backed by the Department of Buildings that would allow the construction of SROs as small as 100 square feet for the first time in decades. The city once had as many as 100,000 SROs, but their numbers began declining in the 1950s as new laws restricted their construction and encouraged conversions, driven by stigma that linked the housing type to poverty and crime, according to the New York Times.
SROs typically feature shared kitchens and bathrooms, resembling dormitory-style housing. Their small footprints and minimal design make them one of the city’s most affordable options, especially for single residents, newcomers, and people transitioning out of homelessness…