New rental concept includes sleeping pods in shared home for $800 a month
By David Louie
PALO ALTO, California (KGO) — Rent in the Bay Area is unaffordable for many people, especially if they’re starting a new job or working as an intern. A new concept — sleeping in small, individual pods in a shared house — is being tried in Silicon Valley.
The rent for a three-bedroom, two-bath house like this in Palo Alto could easily run from $6,000 to $8,000. The residents are paying $800 per month. While they share the kitchen and other spaces, the 14 residents sleep in pods a bit larger than a twin bed.
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“Our pods are actually eight feet tall, so it gives enough room for like bigger people and like also some wiggle room, so they’re not like the Japanese capsules. They’re a bit larger,” said Brownstone Shared Housing Co-Founder Christina Lennox.
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The pods are outfitted with a temperature-controlled fan, lighting, a fold-down desk and whatever personal touches they’d like to add. Christina, who designed the pods, says she can cocoon here all day, as do others.
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She and co-founder James Stallworth wanted to address the need for affordable housing.
They tried to do this in New York but ran into objections. Palo Alto doesn’t set a limit on renters in a single-family house. They also found a cooperative landlord.
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“We told them about our concept and the benefits of it and how it would help people, and the landlord was interested,” Stallworth.
