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.