emergency generator apartment hook-up: Yes? No?

I might skip it in your position. But here are a few thoughts:

- common areas is more likely to be a selling point -- water pressure, basic hall lights, elevators, etc. -- people can imagine living with flashlights for a while but water and elevators are different -- however:

- keep up with the Joneses; if your unit does not have this but a strong majority in the building do, you could suffer in some resale scenarios

- although demographic assumptions are dangerous, it might be a less crucial feature for many studio-dwellers (e.g. independent single adults), versus the value added to larger apartments where there is more likely to be some type of dependent involved, however on the flip side it could be highly appealing to a single occupant or couple who has life-sustaining medical equipment

- does your current tenant want it?

Would this be wired in to serve the entire apartment, e.g. including appliances, such that you could basically live normally? Or just a minimal portion? And I assume the building is in a position to properly test, maintain, manage, etc. over the long term? (it's useless if not tested and kept up)

If you decide to decline, see if the project can include a common "charging station" type area so future occupants can top off their cell phone, flashlight, etc. and then return to their darkened apartment to call for takeout.

Thanks Joe this is helpful. Current tenant is leaving in the fall per the three-year-out-of-five sublet policy. So it's not something he'd be affected by. Your thoughts re: the charging station idea etc are very good and questions I'll ask. I imagine this is something we could claim as a capital improvement for sale-related tax purposes but again, it is a hefty price to pay for a 400 ft2 studio.

Don't do it ... Fukkk the next owner

What flood zone is this in?

This is a rather massive and complex undertaking to distribute secondary power to a large number of end points, which presumably will provide only limited, emergency electricity to certain apartment circuits. It will also be a disaster of a mess trying to route new power into individual units (presumably from the roof?), add new switching and subpanels, etc. I would be concerned as to how the Coop is going to allocate the maintenance and operating cost of this thing. When it turns on, presumably it will be using the building's gas feed, to supply electricity in part to a select few units. Is the building going to pay to maintain the individual switching equipment? How about replacing that generator, which will be many times larger than needed for the building common areas alone. If the non-participating shareholders are effectively subsidizing this project, you may want to be in rather than out.