New York City is considering the return of single-room occupancy (SRO) units as part of its efforts to address a housing shortage. On Tuesday, Council member Erik Bottcher introduced legislation that would allow for the construction of SROs as small as 100 square feet, according to a report from the New York Times. These units typically do not have private kitchens or bathrooms and instead rely on shared facilities.
The Department of Housing Preservation and Development supports the bill, which also aims to make it easier to convert office buildings into micro units. City officials argue that SROs and other forms of shared housing can be built quickly and at lower costs, helping meet demand among single adults, newcomers, and people transitioning out of homelessness. In neighborhoods such as Bedford-Stuyvesant and Clinton Hill, shared rooms with communal kitchens can rent for $1,500 or less—significantly below median rents in New York City.
Shifts in household composition are cited as part of the rationale for this policy change. Between 2018 and 2023, single-person households increased by nearly 9 percent while nonfamily households grew by more than 11 percent.
However, there are concerns about SROs’ historical reputation in New York as sites associated with crime, drugs, overcrowding, and poor conditions. The proposed legislation addresses these issues by establishing operational and safety standards. For example, no more than three units could share a kitchen or bathroom; sprinklers would be required; and minimum electrical capacity would be mandated. The measure also seeks to bring co-living operators into compliance with regulations.
“These are not yesterday’s S.R.O.’s,” said Bottcher. He described modern shared housing as a practical addition to New York’s available housing options.
If passed, the policy would align New York with cities like London, Zurich, and Seoul that have adopted compact shared housing models. Construction of new SROs was banned by the City Council in 1955. Currently there are an estimated 30,000 to 40,000 SRO units remaining in New York City—less than half the number present during their peak in the early twentieth century.
The proposal could lead to more affordable options for single households while freeing up larger apartments for families.
