It sounds like you have three issues to deal with: (1) How to sell this idea to the others in your co-op, especially the board; (2) What machines could work for this purpose; and (3) What machines that would work could provide a valid warranty and fast service for your 10-apartment co-op. I mean, personally, if I were you, I would locate a 24"x24" area somewhere in my apartment in which it might conceivably be possible to place either a washer/dryer combo with condenser dryer (since those don't need a vent, you can put them anywhere) or a stacked compact washer and condenser dryer... That would probably be much easier than successfully dealing with all three of the issues above. Not seeing your floorplan, I have no suggestions for you, but I really find it hard to believe that there is any middle-class American family who does not have a 24" by 24" area somewhere in their home that they could spare, in return for saving $1200(!!!) a year. If you could find the space in your apartment, you would not only save that money, you would also have the co-op's laundry facilities to fall back on for those rare occasions when your washer/dryer breaks and you have to wait a few days for parts, as is typically the case for residential machines. And also for those rare occasions when you have to wash something so disgustingly foul that you don't want to put it in your own appliance. I know space is tight in NYC, and whatever solution you find might be less than optimal, but for $1200 a year??? I think for that much money and convenience I could give up a closet, or repurpose one of the cabinets in my kitchen, or hell, put a washer-dryer combo unit next to the couch and call it an end table. :-) Here is a link that might be useful: A sampling of washer-dryer combo units

So, after using it for a few years, here is my take on the MC, keeping in mind, of course that YMMV. I want to start by saying that I just *had* to have the MC because I was sure I would get tons of use from it, especially because I have arthritis and I have had some close calls with moving heavy pots of boiling water. So, in that way, having the MC is very nice bc it does drain the boiling water and eliminates the need to move a heavy pot full of boiling water. The downsides, though, are that it does take some time to get the water to a boil ( I would say about 15 minutes or so) and then there is the clean up, which is kind of a pain. You have to wait for the unit to cool down enough to take it apart to clean it well; otherwise, it tends to get icky. Coincidentally, we seem to be eating less pasta these days *sigh* so when I do make pasta it is in smaller batches and I usually do it on my induction hob which boils water in under a minute. I do love my MC for keeping items warm and for steaming veggies. In those instances, clean up is super easy, it's just draining the water and then I leave the lid off all night to air dry. To speak to your oven choices, I really do love having my warming cupboard, I use the heck out of that thing! I almost think I would give up the MC before the warming cupboard, especially with an induction hob that boils water so quickly for pasta. So in the end, maybe the question is...how MUCH pasta do you prepare at one time? Is it smaller batches, for say a family of 4? Or is it regularly for 10-12? In which case the MC might be very useful for you. I hope this is helpful and not more confusing!

the hallways on each side definitely don't work for me. far too much wasted space and inefficiency. One long hallway alone can often be incorporated into other spaces I still don't like the Windows. They don't work with the interior layout at all, see the bedroom upstairs for example. The narrow window is above the edge of the bed and edge of the side table, and that's the workable furniture layout were I you, I would consider restarting. it's work and you've invested in this, but I don't think it's shaping up as well as it should. At present it seems the house is being designed as if it were a rigid shell that rooms need to be contorted into. another option for space on the ground floor. keeping pantry, mech and laundry together is not something I'd do but if you are, reduce the pantry size slightly (in length) to move the mech section to the exterior wall of the pantry, rotate the laundry, facing into the pantry. it doesn't give much ironing space, though. then move the master into the space 'gained' if you're looking at ways of reworking this area, don't put the powder room on the far side from the entrance, you'd need to walk all the way through the kitchen or around, in the dining area to get there

Administrative law is probably the most nuanced set of regulations and difficult to discuss with any certainty. Some regions have well defined systems for approval and robust procedures for handling appeals. Other areas may be more like poorly run dictatorships with opaque approval guidelines and few methods to appeal those decisions. Every area I have lived in would discourage a warehouse in the middle of a single family home residential area. Some might have procedures that limit their ability to actually prevent you from building it, but others would simply reject your building permit and say, "that is a commercial structure and not allowed in a residential area." After that rejection, there is no amount of talking, discussing, dragging out the zoning regulations, etc. that is going to make it happen. The small town I currently live in, would have no problem rejecting this and simply refuse to have any discussion on why... your appeals wouldn't get you anywhere, because no one wants a warehouse in the middle of a residential area. I guess you could take them to court, but they have little skin in the game so why should they care. These same places might have no problem with the warehouse in other neighborhoods, or they may reject the idea of a warehouse as a single family home wherever you decide to put it. Furthermore, I am not sure the distinction between working restaurant and unique decorations is all that cut and dry. It is not unusual for a room or structure to be judged against its possible uses rather than any specific intention. You can search Gardenweb for people who have been denied a permit for a basement kitchen because that would turn the structure into a multi-family dwelling even though the basement kitchen was just meant as a convenient entertaining area for a single family home and there are not even bedrooms on the basement floor. So I would not count on this idea that just because you intend to live there and not use it for commercial purposes that the city will just take your word for it.