After syndicating over $7.5 billion in real estate deals and selling his previous company with $1 billion in assets under management, Michael Anderson, Founding Member of PREIshare, could ha...
The Sanctuary Strategy: Rethinking Multifamily Amenities Through the Lens of Tenant Wellbeing
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Date:
19 Dec 2025
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Most multifamily developers think about amenities as checkbox items: pool, gym, lounge, maybe a golf simulator if the budget allows. TAY Investments founder Yuval Shram saw an opportunity to think differently.
That philosophy led to TAY’s signature sanctuary amenity concept – a fully integrated wellness package that goes far beyond standard multifamily offerings. Now operational at Hue Soul, TAY’s 116-unit property in East Orange and planned for the company’s 202 unit development site at 301 West Side Ave., Jersey City slated to be delivered in the coming summer of 2026. It is also the concept TAY is going for in its recent Jersey City location at 212 Culver Avenue the sanctuary represents a fundamental rethinking of what multifamily amenities should accomplish.
Beyond the Checklist: Designing for Daily Rituals
The sanctuary concept emerged from multiple streams of insight. Personal travel experiences showed what amenities people genuinely valued when they left their comfort zones. Team members introduced wellness trends like cold plunge therapy. Tenant surveys revealed what residents actually wanted versus what developers assumed they needed.
Rather than chasing every trend, TAY filtered amenity decisions through a central question: does this support a healthy daily ritual that tenants will actually use?
The resulting sanctuary package delivers state-of-the-art fitness centers with cutting-edge equipment, outdoor pools with hot tubs overlooking the gym, full spa experiences with dry and wet saunas, cold plunge therapy, yoga and stretching areas, locker rooms for changing and showering, and relaxation spaces to decompress after workouts.
Residents don’t have to leave the building in pursuit of wellness related activities. They can find all their needs within the building, completing their entire wellness routine before or after work, whether working remotely or commuting to an office. Swim, work out, sauna, cold plunge – all in one space. Take a shower, use a personal locker, and start the day.
The Community Multiplier Effect
The sanctuary strategy serves a dual purpose beyond individual wellness: it creates natural gathering points that build community among residents. When people are healthy, they’re happy. When they’re happy, they engage with their community, make friends, and stay longer.
This wasn’t accidental. TAY deliberately designed amenities to support both individual and group use. When the gym has sufficient space to invite a yoga teacher once a week as complimentary programming, five or six or eight residents come together for a lesson. They meet one another. Sometimes they make friends. When they return to their studio or one-bedroom unit, even if they live alone, they’re not completely alone.
This matters more than many developers realize. In an era of increasing social isolation and remote work, multifamily properties that facilitate genuine community connections command loyalty that translates directly to reduced turnover and stronger rent growth.
PropTech as the Invisible Foundation
While the sanctuary provides the physical infrastructure for wellbeing, TAY recognized that convenience drives adoption. That’s where PropTech integration becomes critical. The more PropTech-relevant a property is, the more tenants enjoy their first encounter with the building, and the more that shows up in occupancy levels and tenant satisfaction.
TAY’s approach focuses on consolidation and convenience: single integrated apps for all building functions, seamless door and garage access from phones, 24/7 ability to manage building access remotely, integrated payment systems alongside building services, and on-demand services like coordinated cleaning teams.
What creates the most convenience is organizing all the apps in one place. Residents don’t have to log into different systems when they want to add their spouse to the intercom or request package room access. When everything is integrated in the same space where they pay rent and check their deposit status, the experience becomes frictionless.
Market Validation
The true test of any amenity strategy is market reception. At Hue Soul, TAY’s first property to fully deploy the sanctuary concept, initial results validate the approach. The building has surpassed 50% occupancy, representing strong achievement in new territory for both TAY Investments and the East Orange multifamily market.
The leasing pace – approximately 15 units per month – reflects the challenge of introducing premium amenities to a market accustomed to more basic offerings. But TAY views this as validation that their strategy can expand addressable markets rather than just competing for existing demand.
The value proposition is compelling. For residents paying $4,000 or $4,500 monthly for a one-bedroom on Wall Street plus separate gym membership, TAY offers comprehensive amenities at potentially half the cost within a 30-minute commute. That’s the fundamental trade-off the sanctuary enables.
Scaling the Model
With the sanctuary proven at Hue Soul and the Jersey City acquisition providing a much larger canvas, TAY is positioned to establish this approach as their signature offering across markets. As a New Jersey developer spread around the state, TAY delivers its package consistently so residents eventually know that living in any TAY building whether East Orange or Jersey City, means receiving the same solution.
This consistency creates brand recognition that compounds over time. Tenants who have positive experiences at one TAY property become prospects for others. Satisfied residents become ambassadors who promote the company’s reputation.
The strategy also positions TAY to lead conversations about the future of multifamily amenities as younger generations prioritize experiences and wellness over material possessions. Today’s tenants are sophisticated, looking for more, and expecting more. By meeting those expectations through integrated wellness experiences rather than disconnected amenity checkboxes, TAY Investments is writing the playbook for the next generation of multifamily development – one sanctuary at a time.
TAY Investments is a vertically integrated real estate development company based in New Jersey, with a portfolio of over 1,550 units valued at $475M+ across 22 investments. The company’s signature sanctuary amenity concept features state-of-the-art fitness facilities, dual saunas, cold plunge therapy, and outdoor pools designed to promote tenant wellbeing and community.
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