Co-Living Goes 'Mega'

Startup Starcity recently announced its plan to build the biggest co-living housing complex in the world, signaling that this style of living may be here to stay.

Starcity converts old retail, hotel, parking garage structures in Los Angeles and San Francisco into co-living spaces, but its latest project will be located in San Jose, Calif., with 800 bedrooms, priced from $800 to $2,500 per unit to be competitive with the metro's median rent price for a one-bedroom unit (more than $2,000 as of this writing), Business Insider reports. Starcity CEO Jon Dishotsky said in a statement that the project, "will bring to fruition a concept we've been working on since we founded Starcity - vertical neighborhoods," adding, "Our goal is to make urban living accessible to all ... fostering community in high-density urban areas." The "mega" co-living project is slated to open in 2021, located three blocks from San Jose's main transit hub, Diridon Station.

Co-living, a form of housing where residents rent their own apartments but share common spaces and amenities, was once considered an odd solution to the urban housing crisis. Now it's become so popular, there aren't enough spaces to satisfy demand ... By renting out a bedroom, residents gain access to a host of amenities, including home cleaning, dog walking, and laundry services. They'll also share a communal kitchen, living room, and TV area. Some units will have their own bathroom, while others will share with a second room.

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