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Waterfront Micro Lofts Under 500 Sq. Ft. in Chelsea, MA


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This is a guest post from Gretchen Chingris about the grand opening event for 305 Microlofts at Commoncove.

Below is the press release about the newest micro lofts to come to the Chelsea, MA area.

Boston-area developer Kevin Saba, co-founder of Commoncove, one of the Boston area’s first co-work spaces, today announced the Grand Opening of 305 Microlofts at Commoncove, a new residential development overlooking the Admiral’s Hill Marina on the Chelsea waterfront, a stone’s throw from the Mystic Brewery, featuring nine (9) new construction microloft apartments for sale with prices starting at $200,000. The Grand Opening will begin with a public open house and barbecue event on Friday, September 11, 2015 from 3:00 PM to 6:00 PM, and will continue throughout the weekend with open house events Saturday, September 12th and Sunday, September 13th from 12:00 noon to 3:00 PM both days.

305 Microlofts at Commoncove is located right above the Commoncove co-work space which launched in 2013 at Chelsea’s Admiral’s Hill Marina to offer mobile knowledge workers affordable shared workspace. Each of the nine (9) units features flexible-space living area and high end, though sensible finishes, including a full kitchen with custom-sized stainless 4-burner range with oven, dishwasher, and Fisher & Paykel refridgerator, granite countertops, wide plank floors, and built-ins. Each apartment has air conditioning, outdoor deck space and parking.

“305 Microlofts at Commoncove is an idea whose time has come — an exciting next step in the development of a larger concept built around the sharing economy,” Saba said. “Combining co-work space and high quality modest-sized living space at one location not only enhances the value of each, it introduces something new and unique that many people want and need.”

Please enjoy, learn more and re-share below. Thank you!

Related: 290 Sq. Ft. Tiny Studio Condo in Brazil

 Waterfront Micro Lofts Under 500 Sq. Ft. in Chelsea, MA

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Images © 305 Micro Lofts

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Currently there are about a dozen traditional apartments under 500 square feet on the market for sale in the Boston area’s best residential neighborhoods, including bedroom communities like Somerville, Cambridge, and Brookline. Only two (2) of those are priced at $300,000 or less. The average price for apartments of this size is approaching $400,000 and over $800 per square foot. Typically such apartments are in dated, mid-rise apartment buildings or were “shoe-horned” out of leftover attic or basement space in legacy single and multi-family homes.

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By comparison, the nine (9) mint condition condos at 305 Microlofts are an incredible value. Said Saba, “Boston area developers are still fashioning apartments out of old buildings from the turn of the last century. I like old-world charm as much as anybody. But the cost of city living in Boston keeps going up, and people are adjusting. They’re simplifying, and re-sizing their lives. There aren’t enough high quality apartments out there for people who need less space. Much of what is out there happened by accident, and what we’re building at 305 is intelligently designed, high-quality, affordable living space created expressly for those people,” he said.

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Clearly there is a burgeoning interest in micro-apartments, but the City of Boston currently doesn’t allow the construction of apartments under 450 square feet, except in the Seaport District. So for Saba, bringing nine (9) micro-lofts to market is about more than just selling condos.

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“This development is part of a broader, more serious conversation about the efficacy of creating smaller living spaces,” he said. “What we’re doing can’t be done in of Boston right now, except in the Seaport, and what’s being built there is for rent, not for sale. So we’re doing this just on the other side of the Harbor, in Admiral’s Hill, Chelsea, at a price people can afford. It actually costs less on a monthly basis to buy than it costs to rent comparable space in the City. So we’re inviting everyone — not just buyers, but developers, elected officials, community leaders and stakeholders — to have an opportunity to see the space and the apartments, and to see that this really works,” he said.

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According to a recent Boston Globe story, Chelsea’s 02150 is the new “it” zip code. For people who have known about Chelsea for a long time, this feels like déjà vu all over again. During the last run up in the real estate market, home prices in neighboring Somerville, Cambridge, and Charlestown, made Chelsea a considerably more attractive and affordable alternative place to live without giving up proximity to downtown or the airport. Now it’s happening again. Chelsea is ideally located just on the other side of the Harbor, minutes from the airport and downtown Boston, has a commuter rail that is one stop to North Station, and the Silver Line is coming to Chelsea in the not too distant future.

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Saba said, “We started Commoncove and are now building 305 Microlofts because we believe in the bright future of both Chelsea and the sharing economy. Chelsea is heating up again, we have a co-work space, microlofts coming, we have Zip cars in the parking lot; Uber, Lyft, and Air B&B, are all achieving increasing acceptance in the market, and people in cities all over this country, from San Francisco and Portland, Oregon to Des Moines, Chicago, and New York, are embracing the idea that the more we share, the more we have. Boston isn’t quite there yet, but with forward thinking, early adopting communities like Chelsea leading the way, we’ll get there.”

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Images © 305 Micro Lofts

Learn more: http://www.305microlofts.com/

Related: 340 Sq. Ft. Modern NYC Studio Apartment

Our big thanks to Gretchen Chingris of Weichert Realtors – Metropolitan Boston Real Estate for sharing this press release with us!

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If you enjoyed this waterfront micro lofts you’ll absolutely LOVE our Free Daily Tiny House Newsletter with even more! Thank you!

Related: 86 Sq. Ft. Transforming Micro Apartment in Paris

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Andrea is a contributor for TinyHouseTalk.com and the Tiny House Newsletter! She has a passion for sharing tiny and small house stories and introducing you to new people, ideas, and homes.
{ 14 comments… add one }
  • BrownLuster
    September 5, 2015, 6:07 pm

    The view is beautiful. I like that the kitchen has some high end appliances (Fisher & Paykel fridge), granite countertops (though very minimal) and the apartment has great natural light. I’m certain that the locale in that Boston, Mass. area is why the price tag is astronomical because other than that, I PERSONALLY could not see myself paying $200-$300k for this particular apartment space…especially with a Murphy bed in the living room. The deck and the waterfront veiw is very nice and I’m sure is very nice to look upon in the mornings and evenings. However, sigh…the price tag FOR ME PERSONALLY is pretty steep for a 500 sq.ft apartment with residents above my head and/or below my feet. Hey…at least it includes parking. Lol.

  • Amanda Collins
    September 7, 2015, 4:05 pm

    Robbery

  • Lynne
    September 7, 2015, 4:37 pm

    I live in the area. Grew up in an adjoining city. Chelsea may be cinsidered “up and coming” by some, but it is still ghetto, with people there who are struggling to survive, with the threat of gentrification ready to push them out!!!

    Like so many of Boston’s low income, struggling cities, some areas within the city are better than others – I’d need to look it up on a map to figure out where exactly it is. Much of it is highly industrial.

    Aside from that, the interior shown here looks like a very cheap trailer – for $200,000. Ridiculous. There are apartments in Chelsea that have a lower monthly rent, with no long-term commitment – and which look a LOT better.

    I also you wouldn’t post things like this. This is another money making scheme leaching of the Tiny House Movement. Viva American Greed!.

    • BrownLuster
      September 8, 2015, 9:18 am

      Thanks for your insight Lynne. I see that this is great waterfront property but I was wondering if anyone that may have lived or is living at or near this city could confirm if the price for these apartments were on par for that area. Another poster, kristina nadreau made the point that the design of this 500 sq. ft. space wasn’t truly space saving and I would have to agree. I have seen apartments with as small as 145 sq ft and up 475 sq ft with some absolutely unbelievable space saving solutions that embraced lots of hidden storage, dual purpose drop-down built-ins, creative cabinet space and privacy walls that doubled as shelving & storage. Unfortunately, this apartment had none of those solutions…not even an apartment sized stackable W/D in the space.

      I will say though, this would be a good space for a work studio, provided you created a tad more storage in space where the Murphy bed resides. However to me PERSONALLY, as a tiny apartment, there isnt enough functionality in the space to substantiate that $200k-$300k price tag.

  • Kayce
    September 7, 2015, 5:04 pm

    This is a gutsy, dice roll of a different take; while downsizing usually equates to much lower overhead, this location, ‘it’ zip code (‘zit’-code) is less costly than renting in zit code making this a better investment. What are ‘SOLD’, MLS market comps in ‘zit’-code at $200,000? May be triple at stone throw to harbor. LOCATION, lo,
    lo… Keep this site updated as properties are sold. You rock!

  • kristina nadreau
    September 7, 2015, 5:49 pm

    The layouts of the apts are not ideal. Those who really follow the the Tiny and Small house designs know many ways to maximize very small spaces. A small range & a murphy bed are NOT particularly useful or creative. I dislike the design regardless of price or neighborhood.

  • Marsha Cowan
    September 7, 2015, 8:49 pm

    Really cute! And love the view!

  • Kris
    September 8, 2015, 1:10 am

    I like the Murphy bed, but having the sink right next to the stove isn’t practical unless you could place something like a cutting board over it to act as a bit of counter space immediately adjacent for when I’m cooking and need the ingredients to be within reach.

  • Porcsha S.
    September 8, 2015, 10:23 am

    It’s a nice apartment but, way too much! If I could afford that, I’d have a boat or a larger home, not an apartment. It looks like the work of opportunists. How are companies able to build these for what seems like an insane amount of money, yet a person trying to live sensibly cannot have a TH on whatever lot, wherever they want. This makes me mad!

  • Kathie
    September 8, 2015, 3:34 pm

    A condo this size in downtown Boston would carry a price tag of over 1/2 a million dollars!
    This developer is capitalizing on the fact that condo buyers are being pushed out Boston/Cambridge & the immediate surrounding areas!
    Yes. I do live on the Northshore of Boston & follow the local real estate market.
    To me, micro-apartments do not equal tiny HOUSE living!

  • Ahmed Caraballo
    September 9, 2015, 4:10 pm

    Too costly. Not worth it, in my opinion.

  • Marie Francesca
    April 27, 2016, 11:01 pm

    I’ve lived in the Boston area my whole life – in a suburb a couple of cities north of Chelsea. And, yeah, while some areas of Chelsea are nice, there are others that are still pretty slummy, to echo Lynne. So I sure wouldn’t call it the “it zip” or “up and coming”. And it certainly doesn’t become such a place just because some money-hungry developers decided to plop a pretentious little Ikea-pimped-out box of habitats by the water. In fact, to the average person trying to survive in this madly overpriced area, it makes the city even less appealing.. I don’t know.. maybe ‘cuz it feels like a huge slap in the face…? Here we are, the majority, making $11.75 an hour and paying $1200 a month (heat + hot water included if you’re lucky) for a 2-room studio that’s had the same carpet since 1975… looking around at it all, like, wtf??? … hoping your government will wake the f*#k up and change something. Then you happen upon an article about new microlofts that have just been built in your very own area! And for moment you are filled with joy and excitement, thinking that things are starting to turn around… but no. After you check out the new lofts, you realize they’re not for the 99% who are struggling in the Boston area – they’re for the ones w/ the money who feel like downsizing and having an ocean view. Or a$$holes who like to spend extra money needlessly just because they can, because they feel it earns them certain status. The company has certainly stolen its ideas from tiny house designs, and no doubt is latching onto the tiny house movement as a selling point. And I don’t know about you, but I come to sites like this because they offer hope. I see that it is possible to actually OWN a house that feels like home, and that I absolutely love, even if it is smaller. Really, the amount of space that goes unused in some homes is a sin. It is no secret that there is a lack of affordable housing all over the world, and you would think that a so-called great country like the US would be better responding to this problem by now – not necessarily by giving away free housing, but maybe just start by changing zoning laws?? I mean, the greatest problem with owning a tiny home is that it is nearly impossible to find a LEGAL place to put it.. sooooo….. why not just change this??? I find it rather idiotic that I can legally own a piece of land and put nothing on it (correct, I believe?), but if I want to buy a land lot with the intention of constructing a home, the dwelling I construct has to be at least 1500 sq. ft. and on a concrete foundation???!!!?? (Sorry if my facts/numbers are not exactly correct – just making a point.) And so, in the end I am left w/ the realization that the government is admittedly and fully aware of the affordable housing crisis; also they MUST be aware of the tiny house movement – I mean, who isn’t? But at the same time they are doing nothing to change zoning laws; and even further, who IS receiving the building permits? …developers of multi-unit buildings containing housing that the 99% canNOT afford. Why is this?

  • Heaven
    April 28, 2022, 4:16 pm

    Well they’re beautiful but selling these at the same price of a old home ?? Defeats the purpose if only rich people can afford them and be pseudo granola !??

    • Natalie C. McKee
      April 29, 2022, 11:02 am

      As a somewhat-local, I can say that the prices here are absolutely insane.

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