Charlotte Clad
San Francisco has a rent problem, with rents typically hitting thousands of dollars a month. A business at 12 Mint Plaza has started offering sleeping pods at $700 a month. These pods are cost-effective, but they might be illegal.
Sleeping Pods Are Nothing New
Sleeping pods have been a thing for years, although they tend to be used for short-term situations. For example, an airport in Abu Dhabi installed sleeping pods for their overnight layover customers. Travelers who have long layovers in Abu Dhabi are grateful for the comfort.
These sleeping pods are a bit different from the ones the San Francisco outfit offers. In any other part of the world, these pods wouldn’t even be a consideration for renters. However, San Francisco has a problem – the rents are so ridiculous that people sleep on the streets.
An Epidemic of Homelessness
San Francisco has been going through a severe housing crisis as new construction is far slower than the demand. This is due to a combination of bureaucracy and a lack of zoning for new residential construction, making it more difficult for new houses to be built to cater to the demand.
A one-bedroom apartment costs, on average, $2,979 per month, making it nearly impossible for someone to rent based on their income. Because of this, many people are sleeping on the streets, and recent reports cite homelessness as San Francisco’s most prevalent problem.
Pod Supplier Meets a Demand
Brownstone Shared Housing is responsible for the pods, and they set up this sleeping pod in an old bank at 12 Mint Plaza. At a more affordable $700 a month, it’s still not cheap, but it’s far less expensive than renting an apartment outright, even though the quarters are a bit cramped.
The pods have become quite popular with people headed to the city to seek their fortune. Several new tech startup founders have been living at the location. “I actually pushed off coming to San Francisco for a really long time, but it has been absolutely net positive without a doubt,” Christian Lewis, an AI tech founder, stated.
Location, Location, Location
Tech professionals, AI founders, and many others are using the pods because it has some fringe benefits. Aside from being supremely affordable in a city with such high rents, the communal living space offers an excellent opportunity for networking with others.
Each pod comes with its own privacy curtain, allowing those who are living there to enjoy some level of independence despite being so close to others. Most see it as it is – just a place.
A Potential Legal Matter Brewing
San Francisco has become a bustling metropolis because of its strict zoning and building use laws. This strict zoning allowed it to grow as an economic powerhouse in the 70s and 80s, but this same benefit seems to be a drawback.
12 Mint Plaza was zoned as a bank in the commercial sector. Unfortunately, when Brownstone Shared Housing started offering the sleeping pods, they failed to apply for the proper zoning permits to change the building’s use. Now, the city’s knocking on their door.
Inspectors Issue an Ultimatum
In response to Brownstone Shared Housing’s sleeping pods, the City of San Francisco’s building inspectors promptly stated that the company didn’t file the proper paperwork. They gave Brownstone until early November to rectify this oversight and follow the rules.
To add insult to injury, the building may also be in for more problems. Another of Brownstone’s properties offering the same service in Palo Alto was charged with violating safety ordinances. It’s possible that 12 Mint Plaza may face the same problem if things continue the way they’re going.
Not Just a Zoning Problem
Part of the issue for the city’s complaint against Brownstone is that the changes made to the building can impact other tenants and the city as a whole. The company made significant internal modifications to the building and didn’t seek the approval of the authorities to do so.
One of the changes they made was converting a toilet into a shower. According to local laws, all changes to plumbing need to be approved by a building inspector before any construction is undertaken. Brownstone seems to have missed this clause and went ahead with the changes anyway.
Not A Pod Problem, But a Building Problem
City officials who gave Brownstone Shared Housing their ultimatum quickly pointed out that the issue wasn’t with the pods themselves but the building it was housed in. The problem comes with failing to file the proper paperwork with the city to inform them of the change of use of the building.
According to officials, the building can be used for both residential and commercial interests. However, the requisite paperwork must be filed and approved before any changes happen. The ultimatum is a chance for Brownstone to avoid a hefty fine and closure.
How Do People See Living In a Pod?
Many people see the pods as very limited living quarters. Many have gone on to state that they consider them as coffins, with their single twin-bed cross-section and no place to store any keepsakes or put together decor.
However, the living situation had as many supporters as it had detractors. Some considered it a carry-over of the “gold rush” mentality the city has long been famous for. Others see it as a way to minimize expenses as these young founders seek their fame and fortune in one of the AI capitals of the world.
It’s Not Really That Bad
It doesn’t seem to be that terrible for those who live in the pods. “Just for the first couple of days, I met some of the smartest people I’ve met in my entire life,” Lewis stated. “That’s the reason I came, and that’s the reason why I’m staying.”
The sense of camaraderie for those staying here and the chance to meet others who are in the same line of business is a huge draw. Networking forms one of the primary reasons many of these new founders even came to San Francisco.
Other Places Are Already Doing It
While Brownstone Shared Housing might be the innovator in the US for doing this, they’re far from the first people to the idea. Melbourne, in Australia, has another location that offers “space shuttle pods,” which contain a single bed for 900 AUD ($580) a month.
Melbourne also has a significant housing crisis, and this measure was taken to give people who didn’t have a lot of funds the chance to live in the city. However, Melbourne’s problem is nowhere near as bad as San Francisco’s.
A Temporary Solution
San Francisco’s need for housing means that something like these pods is perfect for people without many space needs. The company seems to be targeting new arrivals to San Francisco who have dreams of making it big in the tech space.
Even many people who live and work in San Francisco have a problem finding housing that suits their lifestyle here. This pod-style living might also be a solution for them, increasing the available places to sleep and offering an affordable option for those who don’t earn tens of thousands a month.
A New Sort Of Living in San Francisco?
Whether or not Brownstone Shared Housing sorts out its building problem, they’ve shown others that pod housing can be done and that people are willing to pay for it. It’s only a matter of time before copycats will start doing what they did, hopefully with the correct permits.
Until then, San Francisco may continue to see their housing demands outpace the available accommodations. Living in San Francisco is not cheap, but these pods might be worth looking into if you don’t mind having just a tiny bedroom to call your own.
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