Affordable Amenites
Survey Says:A surprising 28 percent of respondents said they would be willing to do with fewer recreational facilities—namely, a pool—if it would make an apartment more affordable. A respectable 19 percent said they could do without a fireplace or garage.
There’s no cut-and-dried consensus on this one on the industry side of the equation. Some property owners said they wouldn’t think of building a project, especially one in the suburbs, without a pool and a basic fitness center. Others thought there might be some merit in re-thinking the must-have-a-pool impulse.
“That’s an interesting counter-trend,” says McLaughlin. “I think if you’re 26 and just starting out, you probably already belong to a gym so you could do without a fitness center. But, generally speaking, a pool and fitness equipment are the baseline for us. But it’s a trend we need to watch carefully.”
–Kathleen Stanley is a freelance writer in Washington.