BREA, Calif. — Soon, apartment dwellers won't have to work inside their cramped apartment units or drive into the office.
To fill the gap for remote and hybrid workers, flex office company Industrious has partnered with AvalonBay Communities to create coworking spaces in AvalonBay's massive apartment portfolio.
The companies have launched the first pilot of what they hope to be many ground-level coworking spots called SecondSpace, first in AvalonBay communities in Monrovia and another under construction in Brea.
The SecondSpace in Monrovia at 821 S. Myrtle Ave. is 1,400 square feet, and the Brea location at 185 S. State College Blvd. is 2,400 square feet.
"The evolution of work is showing that most workers don't want to commute daily to office spaces, but don't want to work from home every day either," said Jamie Hodari, CEO and co-founder, of Industrious, in a news release.
The coronavirus pandemic and early pandemic-related restrictions disrupted the traditional office life, with many workers now either permanently working from home or in a hybrid capacity.
While some have relished working from home, some workers miss the normalcy of some office life or don't have the room or quiet space to work in their current home situation.
Coworking spots, such as WeWork, Spaces, and Convene, have traditionally been inside high rises and office complexes. But that means remote workers would need to drive into a commercial business district or a different type of office.
SecondSpace brings the office closer to the remote workers' homes. AvalonBay is the third largest apartment owner in the nation, overseeing nearly 80,000 apartment units in California, Seattle, New York, Washington, D.C., and other parts of the East Coast.
Hodari said creating workspaces in AvalonBay's residential communities "fills that gap — meeting employees where they want to be (close to home) and empowering the individual with a choice they didn't have before."
But what's the difference between SecondSpaces and an apartment complex's business center?
An Industrious official told Spectrum News Monday that SecondSpace is set up for more productivity than a traditional business center inside an apartment.
"Individuals have private offices, which is a game-changer in a world in which everyone is on Zoom calls all day," said Evan Fain, head of New Ventures at Industrious, in an email to Spectrum News. "Members also have the opportunity to set up their space for optimal productivity, adding things like a multi-monitor setup, which we know people have gotten accustomed to while working from home over the last few years."
Fain added that members could also host meetings at SecondSpace within the built-in conference room, allowing members to host other teammates, clients, or partners who may live nearby.
"This would never be possible in a traditional business center," he added.
Fain said that membership starts at $500 monthly and is available for building residents and nonresident members.
The membership also gives them access to all of Industrious' network of flexible workplace locations.
Fain didn't divulge the details of the partnership or lease agreement. Industrious, he said, they go by a "sharing-formula" that varies on a case-by-case basis.
Fain added that the Brea location would open before the end of the year.