As a plugged-in tipster notes, the Martin Building Company’s Arc Light Co. re-development of 178 Townsend (a.k.a. 21 Clarence Place) will be available for lease in April. North and south facing roof decks with a custom spa, grilling area, and enclosed dog run are atop the building while 29 different floor plans, ranging from studios to three bedrooms, are within.
∙ Arc Light Co. Residences (21 Clarence Place) | Floor Plans [arclightco.com]
So, as a possible future purchaser of a condo, how does this “custom spa” thing play out in real life?
These condos are not for sale, they are for lease.
And in general I’m sure “custom spa” means that they put a hot tub up there. So the way it works is you decide if any of your neighbors have anything communicable and use it accordingly.
On the plus side, really impressed by the number of plans with access to exclusive use common area balconies or patios.
Not only are many of the units quite small, some of them lack even a single closet! Guess they’d be perfect for someone who can lounge around in a swimsuit and spa robe all the time but if you’re a working Jan or Joe, good luck finding a place to shoehorn in a wardrobe!
Is there an ordinance that says if you have cool finishes and some outdoor space you can now call a room with no windows a “bedroom” ?
Yes, maybe a new term “junior twos” will be coined. Some very creative & interesting plans. Natural light could be a problem. Great floor plan porn.
In my condo, “custom spa” means a concrete-lined hole in the deck full of steaming water that you get into with 20 of your best drunken friends at 3 AM and make enough noise that no one else on the block can sleep.
A 2-bedroom unit with one large living room window PERIOD? How is this even legal much less desirable? I’d feel like I was living in a bomb shelter. Go see the movie “Downfall” about Hitler’s last days in his Berlin bunker to get a feel for life in this place.
@GoodBuyBadTimes: Yes, there look to be 2 without closets, both very small studios (G and Y). There are also some with very generous closets (like V).
Any idea/information on how much these units will rent for?
1000 square feet for 3 bedroom (?!) How does that even fit? Maybe they should have integrated some of those fancy Japanese space saving beds and bookcases that fold out from the walls.
On many of the layouts (C and D, for instance) there is no light into the bedrooms. I thought that was illegal – both for egress and the requirement of light into all occupied rooms. Maybe there’s a code section that allows this, but I suspect its going to suck.
3 BRs in a 1000 square feet? Plenty of space.. here’s very rough ‘ballpark’ numbers:
room dimensions square feet
bed 1 12×12 144
closet 1 2×4 8
bath 1 8×8 64
bed 2 12×12 144
closet 2 2×4 8
bath 2 8×8 64
bed 3 12×12 144
closet 3 2×4 8
bath 3 8×8 64
kitchen 10×10 100
living 12×18 216
hall 3.5×12 42
1006
Now, the lack of windows thing, that’s kind of a problem.
I would not call that “plenty of space”. This layout has managed to cut on halls, room width, etc. It is probably very square which means access to windows could be an issue for bathrooms with this compact layout. 12feet of width is narrow-ish by US standards.
Plus this is the interior square footage. Most places’ footage include walls. This would add 150sf easy to your estimate.
I guess we have different views of what I called ‘plenty of space’. I understand McMansions in Pleasanton wouldn’t have a mere 150 square foot kitchen, but it’s more than adequate.
Agreed, but a 3/3 is likely to be occupied by 4 or 5 people. I have friends who have a similar layout and are going crazy due to lack of family space and 1000sf more than often includes walls.
“3/3 is likely to be occupied by 4 or 5 people”
I’d argue.. I’d wager the average # of folks living in a 3/3 in SF is less than 3.
If I was a buyer here, I think I’d want to immediately re-arrange the floorplan on virtually every unit.
change full bath at entry to powder room
move laundry out of bedroom
add storage space (probably by eliminating one bed)
expand kitchen workspace (perhaps by adding an island)
Most of the envelopes are really quite intriguing, but I find each actual layout uncomfortable. Of course that turns the 3/3 into a 2/2.5, but whether a small family (toys, play space) or single professionals (room to entertain) I think it’d be much more liveable that way.
hey, there’s a living room in my kitchen!
The illustrations show gas ranges in all units, including studios. Thought that was not OK per code . . . ?
Also in those units, the sleeping space is very proximate to the refrigerator. Far from desirable. Ever try sleeping in an Extended Stay room with the fridge compressor clunking on and off all night?
“A 2-bedroom unit with one large living room window PERIOD? How is this even legal much less desirable?”
It looks to me that the bedrooms must have a frosted glass wall that faces the living room. So that is the ‘window’
Does anyone know if these are actual “live-work” lofts? I think that the building codes are different for live-work lofts than actual condominiums.
Why is everyone here so mad, angry and negative. And know it all’s.
Weird internet people 🙁
Back on February 22, 2012 11:40 AM, Willow wrote:
Per craigslist, J.Wavro & Associates is advertising some of these at $3,350 for a 1/1 with an additional $330Parking Fee.