I personally have to agree with the 2nd option put up by the original posts comment.

A training area with a striking dummy, or several striking dummies (for AOE related spells and affects, so we would know just how effective they are) would be a great thing. I am also really excited about the fact that SE and Yoshi-P have said they are making a "Training Area" for this.

Thoughts - Solo access:
1. "Training Area" by SE - best guess is that we will see the Galdiator's stadium open up for this and we will be able to spare against an NPC or series of them (good way to test a battle arena mechanics for the gold saucer too!) this could also be expanded so that 4 players or 8 players can match wits against past bosses (or even extreme primals) for teaching battle mechs to new FC players.

2. Adding to each of the City-states a instanted area where we could access the same content, but the room/dojo will be more like how the Inn Rooms change between each city-state.

Thoughts - Free Company Access:
1. Personal Favorite - Remove 1 or several private rooms in the FC housing and provide the FC with a Dojo / Training Room which is accessible by up to 8 FC members for a 4 on 4 training session or can be singled out and a player can spare against dummies, or even past bosses.

2. Limitation on the above - FC's who own more than one home, would only be able to build 1 training room.

Additional Thoughts:
A. Additional Storage - I know that it seems like SE has decided that more retainers is the anwser, but why haven't they decided to remove 10 private rooms from FC housing and change them into 1 FC store room?

B. Or take the 10 private rooms, and then provide the FC with a storeroom made from 5 of them, and provide an instant storeroom for solo players accessible from a warehouse location in either 1 or all the city-states?

I would think that with how long housing has been running, and being able to take a scope of what is going on with it and all of its mechanics across all of the servers, SE should be able to find some originally allocated space that is not being used (or even touched in some cases - my FC, I am the only holder of a private room.)

Since it seems like SE's Dev team is starting to get real with some of the fringe problems (like Parsing which would allow us to be able to max how we use each class/job) I think its time they also either come clean, or serious discuss housing and the expansion of it going forward.

I saw it during my run through The Rising, and noticed that MrHappy during is broadcast of it, totally missed it (but he also missed all of what the talk bubble NPCs had to say) coming from who MrHappy believes is the CEO of SE:

"I hear you've found some new housing." (Direct Quote from game on the 18th Floor at 09-07-2011 at 2:15am)

I know that we can't totally take everything as Biblical truth from this, but it does make me wonder why a Machinist with a gun in Yoshi-san's 18 floor office would mention "found some new housing" but be really dry with the comment.

I wonder if it means we can sell off private housing rooms? Who knows.