Maker Spaces Can Make the Difference
While not new to the industry, these hands-on spaces are becoming more prevalent and can improve leasing and resident satisfaction.
During the height of the pandemic, apartment dwellers who were working at home but felt like their walls were closing in on them relished the opportunity to avail themselves of shared co-working spaces elsewhere in their buildings, and builders and management companies obliged them. Some of those are still in use today as telecommuting remains—and seems likely to continue to remain—above pre-COVID levels.
Since the waning of the pandemic, though, residents also have been wanting to reconnect socially with their neighbors while expressing themselves creatively or completing mechanical tasks like a bike repair that would be too messy or space-invading to do in their apartments. This has led to greater interest in “maker spaces,” not an entirely new idea but one that’s gained traction.