When Brad Johnson pitched the idea of building micro-apartments to his two younger brothers, the Johnson Brothers went their separate ways.

The family, known for its liquor wholesale business and commercial and residential developments, came to different conclusions about the viability of installing 78 housing units on a half-acre parcel of land tucked behind St. Paul’s Lyric and Carleton Lofts.

It didn’t help his case that Johnson quoted his siblings rents of roughly $1,000 a month for 400 square feet of studio living.

“It was the same questions that the banks asked: Who is going to pay those rents to live in a tiny house?” he recalled.

Michael and Todd Johnson washed their hands of their older brother’s vision but agreed to sell him the one-story warehouse at Charles Avenue and Carleton Street, near Metro Transit’s Raymond Avenue station along the Green Line.

The nondescript storage building had housed dry ice and truck washing equipment. Soon, said Brad Johnson, it would be torn down to house dozens of young professionals looking for luxury digs at a discount.

“They didn’t want to do the project with me, but they sold me the site,” said Johnson, who was met with equal skepticism from a series of lenders until Sunrise Banks took the plunge.

In late July, the building known simply as “Ray” debuted 78 units of market-rate housing, with most apartments ranging in size from 372 to 505 square feet, at monthly pre-lease rents of $890 to $1,100 before utilities. By late August, 60 of those units were occupied, and all but the three model units had been rented out.

Prices have since gone up. Related Articles Minneapolis and St. Paul to add 70 electric car charging stations with $6.7M grant

Neighborhood girl finds and returns chef Justin Sutherland’s stolen knife roll

Therapy dog-in training stolen in St. Paul found, reunited with owners

St. Stanislaus’ longtime priest the Rev. John Clay leaves legacy of love. He died Sunday at age 94

St. Paul man threatened another man with a sword, charges say

“To be honest, that was a pre-leasing rate,” said Johnson, who calls Ray — short for Raymond Avenue Station — his first solo project. “We quickly adjusted these upwards as we got response.”

Monthly leases now range from $1,000 to $1,300. Johnson acknowledges that may seem like a lot of money for a studio apartment. But the amenities — a fitness room, rooftop party deck, rooftop dog walk, a pet spa with a doggie treadmill, a party room and small library — closely resemble those of pricier luxury developments nearby, including the Carleton Lofts and The Lyric, which he oversees through his real estate management company, Arcadia Management.

At Ray, “in some cases, the rent is $3 a foot, and $1.50 to $2 at least is usually the range,” he said. “Of course, new costs more. The area is awesome.”

ON THE WEB: raysmartliving.com

Underground and surface parking provides a single car stall for 80 percent of the units.

Whether it’s their quaintness, price or carbon footprint, tiny homes have gained a national spotlight, thanks in part to television shows such as HGTV’s “Tiny House, Big Living.”

Metropolitan areas such as New York City and San Francisco offer comparable spaces for even pricier rents. Nevertheless, the idea of upscale downsizing represents a relatively new entry in St. Paul’s housing portfolio.

In an industrial area where some warehouse buildings employ just a handful of workers, neighborhood advocates have applauded the arrival of new residents.

“We’ve talked about creating more density — to be able to get more people in the neighborhood,” said Suyapa Miranda, executive director of the St. Anthony Park Community Council. “It was definitely welcome by the land-use committee.”

At Bush and Payne avenues in St. Paul’s Railroad Island neighborhood, developer Loren Schirber has proposed installing the East Yard Cooperative Tiny Home Village, 47 units or more of loft-style cooperative housing.

Some have questioned the prospect of paying between $130,000 and $162,000 for 280 to 530 square feet of house in a mid-to-low-income neighborhood.

In 2014, a developer debuted the Coze Flats near the University of Minnesota and Northeast Minneapolis, 48 units of micro-apartments ranging from about 400 to 787 square feet, with rents starting at $1,185.

Some fans of higher-density housing have floated the idea of adding micro-apartments to the former Ford manufacturing site in Highland Park, but Johnson doesn’t see the need.

At Ray, he had a half-acre of industrial land to work with, not an empty, sprawling campus of 135 acres. Johnson said he probably won’t undertake another micro-apartments project like Ray anytime soon, though a handful of commercial buildings are calling to him.

“I wouldn’t have built this just anywhere,” he said. “This is such a great part of St. Paul. It’s central — you can get to downtown Minneapolis even faster than downtown St. Paul. It’s low-key.”

MICRO-LIVING

Who would pay more than $1,000 to live in a 455-square foot apartment?

Johnson said Ray is especially popular with international graduate students and millennials, as well as some older professionals in transition, or “between houses and between spouses.” He doesn’t market to undergraduates.

“There’s really nothing missing except the space,” he said. It’s “comfortable, nice housing for people who make too much to qualify for affordable housing but who don’t make enough to rent a typical luxury unit that goes for $2,000 or more now.”

At the end of a relationship, 25-year-old software designer Kyle Werstein was looking to ditch his Minneapolis townhouse, slough off the past and downsize. Werstein also wanted to be near his band’s rehearsal space by Lake Monster Brewing on Vandalia Street.

He found new direction in the best-seller “The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing” by Marie Kondo.

“I was really at a point in my life where I was ready to re-evaluate my relationship with stuff in general,” Werstein said. “I was getting out of a relationship, and it seemed like a good opportunity to sort of take stock of what was important to me. … Is it the possessions that bring me joy?”

His father was in the military, and he recalls moving a lot as a youngster.

“It seemed like we would unpack for a really long time. I lived in my old place for three years, and there was stuff I still hadn’t unpacked in three years.”

Most of the things he hadn’t touched got tossed before the move, but music and books have been harder to part with. Related Articles AP source: Envelope addressed to White House contained ricin

ND angler’s YouTube videos let him quit his day job

Trump pledges woman for court, pushes Senate to move on pick

Trump backs proposed deal to keep TikTok operating in US

Ginsburg’s death draws big surge of donations to Democrats

“I still really appreciate the analog sort of experience of dealing with records. It’s the same thing with books. I like to flip pages,” Werstein said. “I’m trying not to be a collector of those items and instead only have those things in my possession that really mean something to me. I’m trying to be a little more mindful of the things that I do have.”

A month into his lease, 28-year-old banker Jack Knutson is also feeling like he made the right decision. Knutson, who was raised in St. Paul, moved to West St. Paul for about 18 months before returning to his hometown in late July.

“I think the biggest adjustment is seeing an empty room and going ‘I don’t know if it’s all going to fit.’ I was afraid I’d be claustrophobic,” Knutson said. “I was watching the construction when it was being built, I was stopping by and looking in the windows. I signed the lease in April, so I measured everything out and measured all my furniture. It’s surprisingly spacious with all my stuff in here.”

Sight lines become an especially important feature when room edges are tight, so Johnson tried to incorporate tall ceilings and large windows wherever he could.

“I face west, and that adds to the spaciousness. I’m looking at the trees and the Witch’s Tower,” said Knutson, referring to the popular Prospect Park landmark. “Everyone seems to be in good spirits and happy about the place. They enjoy their apartments.”