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The buzz in Inwood: Modular housing

Helena and Sonia Mersich learn to fish in Bryant Park.
Helena and Sonia Mersich learn to fish in Bryant Park. Photo Credit: Getty Images / Pool

Inwood recently received a new type of housing development known as modular housing, the first of its kind to be implemented in New York City. The seven-story building, called the Stack, is at 4857 Broadway.

According to the development’s website, the Stack utilizes an off-site construction method. The individual modules are constructed in a factory then transported to the location where the modules are then stacked on top of one another before a façade is placed on to the framework to complete the look.

The Stack has 28 units for rent, including studios, one, two and three-bedroom apartments, and has features like large windows, private terraces and washers and dryers in some. Prices start at $1,596.

The modular housing method is becoming more popular due to the acceleration of production it provides. Buildings are being able to be built in half the time of the on-site process.

But some Inwood residents, like Lucia Stroub, don’t like the idea of the Stack because it doesn’t add to the neighborhood’s character.

“It’s metal and there’s not enough natural light in them,” she said.

And resident Scott Loane doesn’t mind developers coming in and building new buildings but said he hopes Inwood maintains the older brick buildings that are only a few stories high.

“I could imagine a developer putting up some glass and steel towers to accommodate the increased demand for apartments in our area,” he said, but noted: “If they take over the neighborhood, we might look elsewhere.”