Curious New Yorkers wandered into a different kind of open house in Williamsburg on Saturday: a studio apartment installed inside two parking spaces in an underground garage.
By New York City standards, the space looked comfortable. It accommodated a twin bed with a side table, a living room and a kitchen with a small dining table – although there was no bathroom in sight.
The nonprofit Open Plans, which advocates for “livable streets,” set up the one-day installation as part of Open House New York, a citywide program of exhibits and tours. Open Plans’ goal was to show that parking takes up space and funding that could be put toward other things – including housing. The group is working to build support for a proposal Mayor Eric Adams put forth last month to eliminate a city requirement that developers must include parking in new buildings.
