San Jose Sets Foundation For 'Adult Dorm' Development
SAN JOSE (KPIX 5) --The San Jose City Council has embraced dormitory-style apartments with shared kitchens and living rooms as a possible solution to the shortage of affordable housing.
"This is a solution to the problem we have with under-construction. We have not built anywhere near the number of homes we need to keep up with our population growth," said San Jose City Councilman Johnny Khamis.
The city council approved a new set of building rules and regulations Tuesday that will pave the way for developers to build so-called co-living communities.
San Francisco-based Starcity has a high-rise apartment complex it wants to build in San Jose based on a dormitory-style blueprint.
"This really paves the way for us to build a lot of workforce housing in the middle of a housing crisis," said Starcity CEO Jon Dishotsky.
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Dishotsky says the new development would have both one and two-bedroom apartments in which people would share a common kitchen and living room area. The design allows the developer to build more units in the same space and, at the same time, charge less for rent.
But some college students who still have the dormitory experience fresh in their minds had reservations about the concept.
"With the really high price of housing, if I could only afford a room as big as a college dorm room, that wouldn't sustain me and my family and give us a comfortable life," said San Jose State student Gabriel Baki.
Starcity says it hopes to get its project in San Jose approved by May and start construction shortly thereafter.
The company says it plans to rent the units for $1,500 to $2,400 a month.
