While community housing and communal living have been around since the beginning of cities, “co-living” is still a fairly new concept and is now going mainstream as millennials continue to migrate to high-priced urban areas in droves. Startups have developed projects and repositioned homes into a range of higher-density “co-living” spaces.

Co-living is a new kind of modern housing where residents with shared interests, intentions, and values share a living space where they’re almost like a big family. Co-living is built on the concept of openness and collaboration.

In Los Angeles, the municipal code does not currently even define the term “co-housing” or “co-living” and is typically grouped into the loose term of single “family” residences. Other cities, such as San Jose, have changed their municipal code to allow for “co-living spaces,” dorm-like facilities focused on renters leasing single bedrooms in Downtown Zoning Districts.

Treehouse Hollywood was the first coliving project to open in Los Angeles in 2019. The 60-bedroom project was approved as a 21-unit apartment building, with many of the units containing 3-5 bedrooms. As shown in the approved floor plans above, all of the units at Treehouse have private bedrooms and bathrooms, individual thermostats, and extensive soundproofing.