By Daily Mail (U.S.) | Created at 2024-10-30 15:34:09 | Updated at 2024-10-31 15:34:20
1 day ago
In the midst of a housing crisis that has left San Francisco residents reeling, a new start-up has received approval for its grim, yet affordable sleeping ‘pods.’
Brownstone Shared Housing - a start-up aimed to mitigate the high cost of housing - offers the bleak living alternative at just $700-a-month, offsetting the jaw-dropping average of nearly $4,000-a-month required to live in the 'Fog City.'
The private, 4-by-3.5-foot enclosed wooden box includes a twin mattress, dimmable lights, four USB charging ports and a fan system with temperature control, according to the company's website.
Brownstone's proposed living situation is designed to accommodate 30 single twin beds within a shared space, promising a novel solution to the city’s skyrocketing rent prices.
With the medium rent at a staggering $4,000 a month, tech entrepreneurs have swapped up many of the units, as they seek their own piece of the AI gold rush in the Silicon Valley
The new pods, fitting no more than a twin sized mattress and just 4 feet high, may appear spartan, but the actual living quarters are quite cushy
A leftover filing cabinet from the previous bank tenants has been converted into a communal dresser and a shared closet space
However, the project has not come without its challenges. After a tumultuous battle for approval, the shared housing start-up faced significant pushback from the city's planning department concerned about the implications of such cramped living conditions.
Last year, after the project went viral, city officials ruled that the pods violated building codes because Brownstone had not obtained approval for the residential conversion.
The building, located at 12 Mint Plaza, was deemed as a safety hazard - in part because the front door required a key to open from the inside.
CEO of Brownstone, James Stallworth, said the city’s planning department was unresponsive for around nine months as the company sought to bring the project up to code, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.
'Only a few minor changes were implemented,' Stallworth said of the renovations needed to gain approval. 'A stove was installed in the communal kitchen, permits were approved for a shower that was installed and the front door access was remedied.'
The 13 residents who were already set-up in the dorm-like housing situation were allowed to continue living in the building during that time, but Stallworth said the city told Brownstone to stop accepting new residents.
Brownstone Shared Housing co-founders Christina Lennox and James Stallworth gave DailyMail.com a tour of their sleeping pod complex in San Francisco charging residents $700 in monthly rent
Residents get free reign over a building that includes five bathrooms, two plush lounges, workstations, a kitchenette, and loads of storage space
The double-stacked row of beds occupy just the top floor of a three-story property, which provides about 5,500-square-feet of living space that's all theirs
It’s now advertising the pods for rent again, having already filled 28 of the total 30 available spots.
With approval now in-hand, the start-up hopes to expand, currently eyeing other Bay Area destinations and oft-desired cities like Los Angeles and New York.
Stallworth declined to identify its next San Francisco building because the application hasn’t been filed, but said the location was a good fit because it already has a kitchen.
The density-focused housing solution comes as San Francisco continues to face an increasing homeless population, having risen a stark seven percent since 2022.
Additionally, California State Governor, Gavin Newsom, announced yesterday that the state is on track to receive a whopping $827 million to address the ongoing homelessness crisis.
The pods, likened to coffins in some of the media coverage, look more like modern bunk beds, equipped with their own lights, outlets, and black out curtains, with dividers separating each unit to provide some privacy
With approval now in-hand, the start-up hopes to expand, currently eyeing other Bay Area destinations and oft-desired cities like Los Angeles and New York. Pictured: The Bay Area location at 12 Mint Plaza
Of the $827 million, $380 million will be allocated to the Bay Area specifically and $44 million to San Francisco directly.
The money came in the form of 37 new grants to help more than 100 communities and organizations create long-term solutions to address homelessness, Newsom told KUTV.
He added that the funding comes with 'strong accountability and transparency measures and clear expectations' to help ensure that the programs initiated are measurable and effective.
The money allocated to San Francisco will support homeless shelter operations that are helping people move off the street and transition into housing.
In the last year the bay-side city has helped over 5,200 people exit homelessness, provided shelter to nearly 10,000 people and over 8,200 people have accessed prevention support like rental assistance to keep them from falling into homelessness in the first place, a press release by SF.gov reads.
It is unclear whether Brownstone's innovation will be included in the newly unveiled housing funding.
