10 Comment

• Superdave November 20, 2013 at 9:19 am

  Damn…500 square feet…makes me closterphobic just thinking about it. However, it does offer a lower cost solution for people who are being priced out of inner loop rentals, but don’t want to live in the burbs. I would be concerned about this trend evolving into cramming a bunch of poor people into slums as these units decay with time.

  Also, I would recommend that would-be renters open up their horizons and search for alternative rental properties, such as garage apartments and smaller complexes owned by actual human beings with whom they can negotiate decent rents and contract terms (like allowing a pet, or extra parking during parties/visits by friends).
• MJ November 20, 2013 at 9:24 am

  JCI Grill sounds like a deli located in a generic Westchase office complex.
• Adam Socki November 20, 2013 at 9:32 am

  I love the ‘micro’-apartment style rooms. These are what I have been living in my whole life (San Antonio and Richmond, VA). I’m moving back to Houston and think that this style would be an excellent alternative to those massive 1000+ apartments. Too much space that I don’t need or want to pay for.
• Blake November 20, 2013 at 9:45 am

  James Coney Island changing it’s name to JCI Grill is a horrible idea. Perhaps not as bad years ago when they rapidly expanded, adding locations at gas stations and the the quality lowered. I visit the Highway 290 and Hollister location on almost weekly basis to get a Frito Pie. It’s a newer location, with a nice retro-style. A style almost unique as it’s chili spices. I noticed that that JCI has diversified in the past, adding new items including gourmet hotdogs. The chili is almost as good as it was in the past. Why now to change the name and ditch the retro motif? A classic chili joint doesn’t need to be hip and trendy.
• Rodrigo November 20, 2013 at 10:22 am

  I’m paying $540 for a 420 sq. ft. single in Montrose. Referring to the landlord as absentee would be putting it nicely, and the whole 1950s 8-plex might get condemned any day now. I would gladly pay $200-$300 more for the same space in a new or renovated building; everything in the $700-$1000 range is old and poorly maintained and located.
• Sugar Lander November 20, 2013 at 12:54 pm

  JCI Grill?? Dumb idea.
• Cody November 20, 2013 at 1:48 pm

  Rodrigo, mind sharing where it is? You can e-mail me personally if you want. That’s a great price. We have a lot of ~500 SF studio units and all are $700+/month (but are all-bills-paid)
• Patrick November 20, 2013 at 3:03 pm

  Yeah…the judge excludes Leo Linbeck ,the 3rd from testifying … That was a VERY cozy deal..I wonder how much his company “donated” to the Judge’s re-election fund…?????
• ZAW November 20, 2013 at 4:04 pm

  My first apartment in New York’s Hudson River Valley was only about 300 sf. So was my second apartment in Queens New York. It was a huge deal to move to a big, airy, 450sf apartment in Monstrose when I came here in 1998. My brother was in a 200sf apartment in Paris France for a while. The idea of tiny apartments is not new.
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  That said, if they’re relying on micro apartments to bring affordable housing to areas with high land costs, they’re really missing the mark. Sure, Micro Apartments let young singles who can afford $1000 a month in rent but not $1800 a month live in these areas. But what about low income families? They need rents under $1000 a month, but they also need 2 bedrooms and at least 800 sf.
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  I’m not arguing against Micro Apartments. I’m not suggesting that they should be concerned with providing low-income housing in expensive neighborhoods. (This is Houston – there are plenty of 800 sf 2 bedroom apartments available for less than $1000 a month, if you come out to Brays Oaks or Alief or the Sharpstown area). I’m just saying – can we stop referring to these Micro Apartments as affordable? They’re really not intended to meet low income housing demand.
• Rodrigo November 24, 2013 at 11:38 am

  Cody, sent you an e-mail at president@.