279 square feet apartment for $1,850, new building (san francisco) [View all]
Micro-apartment developments on rise in S.F.
Kayla Smith, 35, has been out of college for years, but she's returned to dorm-style living in an apartment the size of a one-car garage in a brand-new building in San Francisco's Tenderloin.
"It's the price you pay for living in San Francisco," she said. She winnowed her possessions to the bare minimum when she moved into the 279-square-foot space in September, paying $1,850 a month for the convenience of living blocks from work amid the emerging Mid-Market area.
Urban planners and San Francisco leaders say smaller units help tackle the city's housing shortage and rising rental costs.
"We need to think outside the box in providing housing for our population," said San Francisco Supervisor Scott Wiener, who sponsored legislation last year to allow "micro-apartments" of 220 square feet including bathroom, kitchen and closet. The city agreed that 375 micro-units could be built as a test; 120 are now in the pipeline in the Mid-Market area.
Meanwhile, plenty of the new apartment buildings are 400 square feet or less - not technically micro but still pretty darn small. By comparison, most studios have been 500 to 600 square feet.
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