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Strategies & Market Trends : 2026 TeoTwawKi ... 2032 Darkest Interregnum -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Riskmgmt who wrote (95003)	9/26/2012 8:42:54 PM
From: TobagoJack	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 219773

san francisco catching hong kong bug From: B Subject: tiniest Well M, maybe your bosses could best help SF implement this... San Francisco to trial micro-flats to beat housing costs Submitted by admin on Sep 26th 2012, 12:00am Associated Press in San Francisco San Francisco officials propose rule change to reduce minimum sizes to aid single residents San Francisco may soon give a brand new meaning to the word "downsizing". Local officials were set to vote yesterday on a proposed change to the city's building code that would allow construction of some of the tiniest apartments in the United States. Under the plan, new apartments could be as small as 220 square feet, including a kitchen, bathroom and wardrobe, the Los Angeles Times reported. Current regulations require the living room alone to be that size. Schematics for 300-square-foot units planned for San Francisco's South of Market neighbourhood include window seats that turn into spare beds and beds that turn into tables. Proponents say the smaller apartments would provide a cheaper option for the city's many single residents, who have been priced out of the rental market as the region experiences a resurgent technology industry. San Francisco apartments rented for an average of US$2,734 per month in June, up 13 per cent from a year ago, according to the research firm, RealFacts. The micro-units, in contrast, are expected to rent for $1,200 to $1,500, San Francisco Supervisor Scott Wiener said. Wiener drafted the legislation for the smaller apartments. The law allows the flats to accommodate up to two people and requires an additional 100 square feet of space for each occupant above that number. "Although in our fantasy world everyone would live in a single-family home or a huge, spacious flat, the reality is that not everyone can afford that," Wiener said. But critics counter that the units would not help families and could boost population density, straining public transport and other city services. "This has to be a pilot project and it should allow for further study before we end up like Singapore," said Sara Shortt, executive director of the tenants' rights group, Human Rights Committee of San Francisco. Singapore authorities recently raised minimum dwelling sizes because of concerns about congestion. Some critics want San Francisco to follow New York City's example and first test a small number of flats. New York City's micro-flats have a higher minimum-size requirement.