A development outside the city in the town of Caroline looks to expand. I guess folks either love 'em or hate 'em.
Here's the developers site for the apartment sized cottages:
http://www.boicevillecottages.com/
From the Ithaca Journal:
Eye-catching Caroline cottages to grow in number
Developer plans 30-plus new colorful small rental homes at rural spot
By Stacey Shackford •sshackford@gannett.com • August 29, 2010, 7:20 pm
CAROLINE -- With their bold green, orange and red facades and blue, yellow and pink curlicue trim, the cottages on Boiceville Road are hard to miss.
Dryden developer Bruno Schickel is hoping to attract even more potential tenants to his ruddy, rustic getaways by adding 37 new units along 11 acres of his 40-acre plot.
The small one- and two-bedroom standalone apartments will range in size from 800 to 1,050 square feet and will be built gradually, in groups of three, Schickel said.
He has already received the necessary approval from the town's Subdivision Review Board, and will be ready to go once he meets local and state permitting requirements.
"The plan is to have some of the new houses available to rent on January 1," Schickel said.
Caroline Town Supervisor Don Barber said a few residents who turned up at a recent public hearing about the proposal were concerned about stormwater.
But most were happy with how Schickel's current units have been maintained since they were constructed 14 years ago, and Barber said he believes the complex has been an asset to the community.
Schickel said he has had no problem renting out the quirky cottages, which go for between $975 and $1,325 per month. They are currently at 100 percent occupancy and the tenants range in age from their 20s to their 80s.
"There are some graduate students, middle-aged professors and seniors. It's a nice cross-section," Schickel said.
He believes their location in a rural area with easy access to a bus route and proximity to amenities like Brookton Market is appealing to many. And he has found that the more garish the color, the more desirable the cottages become.
"It provides a housing option that I think is difficult to find in this area -- apartments as small, standalone homes," he said. "It gives people the ability to be outside in the country while feeling like they are in a village, part of a community."
Many units are also as green on the inside as they are one the outside, with tankless water heaters and imitation wood stoves that not only add to the "charming ambiance" but help keep energy costs below $100 a month, Schickel said.
More information is available at schickelconstruction.com.