November 1, 2024
Developers converted a bank into affordable housing units
According to Apartments.com, the average cost of renting a one-bedroom apartment in San Francisco is about $3,000 per month. Brownstone Shared Housing has created a more affordable option: sleeping pods.
For $700 a month, San Francisco residents can rent a pod the size of a twin-sized bed. The four-foot-tall pod has two fans, a mirror, and a privacy curtain. The sleeping units are housed inside a building with shared restrooms, storage facilities, and a workspace. The price is ideal for up-and-coming entrepreneurs living in one of the most expensive cities in the U.S., where the cost of living is 70% above the national average.
“I was living in the Presidio before and was kind of looking for cheaper options just so I could keep working on the stuff I wanted to and working on open-source projects,” Ben, a resident and entrepreneur, told ABC 7 News, San Francisco.
When the housing project gained popularity last year, the city threatened to shut it down due to a lack of proper permits. Brownstone Shared Housing Co-Founder James Stallworth said they were forced to stop renting pods to potential residents until they received the required permits from the city.
“There was never anything illegal about the pods. It’s just that we didn’t have a change of use because this building used to be a bank. So, we went through that process for about a year. In the meantime, the planning department at some point said that we can’t list it because people were complaining thinking we were renting illegal housing,” Stallworth told ABC 7 News, San Fransisco.
Additionally, Stallworth said they had to make some repairs in the building to comply with city safety standards. After a year-long process, The San Fransico Department of Inspections issued a letter of approval for the pods.
Stallworth said they are creating additional housing pods in a larger building, which is slated to open early next year.
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