Hoping to etch a safe space for their neighborhood gays, a German construction company decided to erect a massive apartment complex specifically for the lavender set.

Villa Anders in Ehrenfeld in Cologne features 70 flats, which all but 15 have been snapped up by gay people who plan to move in by the end of 2009.

Organizers the Gay and Lesbian Living Association said the project, which receives some public money, will be self-financing.

Resident Jens Lidy told the Guardian: “As a gay person, I’ve spent my life playing a sort of hiding game, making sure the neighbors didn’t know I was gay, because I never knew how they would react.

“I leapt at the chance to move to Villa Anders, because I feel I can finally be myself among people who have had a similar experience.”

Remember how Melrose Place began as a relatively feel good show and devolved into camp mania? Yeah, that's what we envision – only hopefully without Dr. Kimberly Shaw and her bomb-loving madness.