Limits to San Francisco micro-apartments

• Tweet

SAN FRANCISCO, Nov. 15 (UPI) -- San Francisco's Planning Commission is deciding the fate of micro-apartments, proposed 220-square foot units that may help solve housing problems in the city.

The tiny apartments are designed as "crash pads for people who work 24/7 in Silicon Valley and need a place in the city to sleep and party" but do not "build a sense of community or neighborhood," said Sara Shortt of the Housing Rights Committee of San Francisco.

They can, however, alleviate a growing housing problem in the congested city. San Francisco's general plan calls for thousands of additional residential units in upcoming years, 60 percent of them designed for low- and moderate-income households, the San Francisco Chronicle reported Thursday.

The city's Board of Supervisors' plan to cap development of the micro-apartments at 375 was set to be discussed at a Thursday meeting.

"We don't see any policy rationale for the cap. We need the housing," said city planner Sophie Hayward.