Right now, moored at Pier 50 in San Francisco, there’s a converted Icelandic icebreaking cargo ferry that’s been a startup incubator over the last two years. (It was first tricked out to be used as a residence.)
In exchange for living and co-working space aboard the ship, companies give up a small equity stake (or pay money or in-kind labor for maintenance) to the ship’s owners, which include Brewster Kahle, founder of the Internet Archive, and Creon Levit, a project manager at NASA Ames Research Center.
One problem, though: the Port of San Francisco has threatened to shut the ship down by the end of October 2013. For now, thanks to new community support, the eviction process has been “paused.”
“The tenant (Maritol Enterprise LLC) is on a holdover basis, and either party may terminate with 30 days’ notice,” Renée Martin, a Port of San Francisco spokesperson, told Ars.
“The October 31, 2013 date to vacate the vessel is off. The Port’s Real Estate property manager (who is currently on vacation) will be meeting with Mr. Creon Levit soon to discuss what his company must do to avoid a new 30-day notice.”
Why is the ship only now being kicked out? According to the San Francisco Chronicle, local port rules dictate that people cannot live aboard any ship—startup incubator or otherwise—and that a boat berthed at a pier must be fully operational.
“I’m sure they have a cool operation there—it looks cool—but there are rules,” Martin told the Chronicle on Thursday. “Especially when you’re dealing with the bay.”