Co-living buildings offer ‘attainable luxury’ for young Chicagoans

Nestled in the heart of the Printer’s Row district in the South Loop, Straits Row appears like any other high-rise in downtown Chicago. It has a modern interior design and high-end amenities that are standard for luxury housing in the area.

But the building has a feature that separates it from most such high rises in the city: Half of its units are co-living apartments, where tenants rent a single bedroom and share a kitchen and living room with other tenants. Rents at co-living buildings are often 20% to 30% below the market rate for a studio or one-bedroom in the same neighborhood.

Straits Row, at 633 S. LaSalle St., began leasing in February. The 18-story building has 132 units and 358 beds, with half the units traditional apartments and half co-living apartments. The bedrooms and liv