When you look at 400 square feet, you don’t see a lot. A small kitchen, a bathroom with a shower stall, maybe a decent-sized closet. It’s not a lot, but it’s a start.

In an effort to create workforce housing and lure young residents to the city, commissioners voted to lower the minimum size for an apartment or condo to 400sf. Smaller units cost less to build, buy, and rent and where a developer could once only put eight units, they can now have ten, for example.

For decades, Wilton Manors has worked to strike the right balance of growth and increased density versus quality of life. In 2021, the height limit was increased to eight stories, although no development has taken advantage of the increase.

Commissioners intentionally eschew the type of development embraced by Fort Lauderdale, which seems to break ground on a new highrise every month.

The phrase “people who work here should be able to afford to live here” has been an unofficial slogan for the move to lower unit size. Many cooks, servers, bartenders and other service industry professionals can’t afford to live here. Some can’t afford to park and take public transportation to and from their jobs. Average sized, one bedroom apartments in middling condition start at nearly $2,000 per month.