Brooklyn

An announcement Tuesday by the New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) gave lower-income New Yorkers lots to look forward to–literally. HPD Commissioner Maria Torres-Springer announced that nine development teams would be creating 490 affordable apartments and homeownership opportunities on 87 vacant lots through the department's New Infill Homeownership Opportunities Program (NIHOP) and Neighborhood Construction Program (NCP). The programs were designed specifically to unlock the potential of vacant lots long considered too small or irregular for traditional housing with innovative smaller homes, and develop more affordable housing on lots long used for parking at existing housing complexes. This latest round of development is the third and final in a series: The program has already seen the construction of over 600 affordable homes on 81 lots.
'No site has gone overlooked'

February 13, 2018

986-foot Flatbush Avenue tower in Downtown Brooklyn gets revised renderings

Ahead of its public review, Alloy Development this week released new details and renderings of its proposed mixed-use development at 80 Flatbush Avenue in Downtown Brooklyn. Developers amended the complex's design, first released in April, following backlash from the community and more than 100 meetings with local stakeholders. While the taller tower will keep its original design with 74 stories, the 38-story building's profile will be slimmed and feature a masonry facade to complement the neighboring Williamsburgh Savings Bank Tower.
More here

Real Estate Trends

Live on a rare dead-end block in a new Bushwick rental for $856/month

Rendering via Karl Fischer

February 12, 2018

Live on a rare dead-end block in a new Bushwick rental for $856/month

By Dana Schulz

Here's your chance to have the best of both worlds--live right off Myrtle Avenue and the J, M, Z stop in Bushwick but still have a nice, quiet place to come home to. The lottery is now open for eight affordable units in the brand new Karl Fischer-designed rental at 16 Charles Place, a rare dead-end street that, for years, has been adorned with the 'hood's signature graffiti. New Yorkers earning 60 percent of the area median income can apply for the apartments that range from $856/month studios to $1,114/month two-bedrooms.
Find out if you qualify

Affordable Housing

FREE RENT: This week’s roundup of NYC rental news

Images (L to R): 606W57, The Delmar, Aurora and 88 Leonard Street

February 10, 2018

FREE RENT: This week’s roundup of NYC rental news

By Ondel Hylton

Images (L to R): 606W57, The Delmar, Aurora and 88 Leonard Street Little Italy Rental Debuts; Rumored to have Housed Debbie Harry & Robert De Niro Lenox Terrace Offers Renovated Harlem Apartments from $1,650/Mo. Pre-War Grandeur at The Wyoming; Amazing Midtown Rental Near Central Park Bronx Rentals Debut at Port133 at 751 East 133rd Street […]

Real Estate Trends

See new photos of SHoP Architects’ Domino rental tower at 325 Kent

Photo: Adrian Gaut

February 9, 2018

See new photos of SHoP Architects’ Domino rental tower at 325 Kent

Now that the doughnut-shaped 16-story waterfront rental building at 325 Kent Avenue is nearly complete, you can take a look at some seductive new snaps of interiors and amenity spaces to see if it lives up to the hype. The first structure at the 11-acre Domino Sugar Factory site to open, the 522-unit riverfront tower brings something new to ogle to the famously rezoned Williamsburg neighborhood’s veritable city of glassy condo towers that surround the landmarked Refinery building.
More photos, yoga and food this way

February 7, 2018

Treat your sweetie (or yourself) to a chocolate tour of Brooklyn this Valentine’s Day

This Valentine's Day, leave the heart-shaped candy box at Duane Reade and enjoy locally-made chocolate instead. Explore Brooklyn released their "Brooklyn Chocolate Trail Map" this month with 12 must-eat delicious destinations in the borough. The list includes chocolatiers, factories and tasting rooms. Follow the chocolate trail and taste-test your way through Greenpoint, DUMBO, Williamsburg and Downtown Brooklyn. What could be sweeter?
Learn more

Events & Things To Do

February 7, 2018

Asking $1.5M, is this cute three-story townhouse the last great deal in Sunset Park?

While waterfront neighbor Red Hook was recently named Brooklyn's most expensive neighborhood despite the challenges it presents when it comes to public transportation, easy-to-reach Sunset Park remains slightly out of the spotlight despite steady investment and growth. Blocks of historic row houses have long ago left the realm of bargain buys, but there's still an air of the undiscovered. This three story, three-family, four-bedroom-plus-apartment property at 425 45th Street is a prime example of Sunset Park perfection, and at $1.5 million seems downright affordable given what the average two-bedroom apartment commands a mere two subway stops away.
Take the tour

Distinctive Homes

Live on Bergen Street in Crown Heights North for $2,415 a month; lottery launches today

Photo courtesy of City View Living

February 6, 2018

Live on Bergen Street in Crown Heights North for $2,415 a month; lottery launches today

A housing lottery has launched for five newly-constructed middle-income units at 876 Bergen Street in the rapidly growing Crown Heights neighborhood of Brooklyn. The 8-story, 16-unit building is located near Classon Avenue surrounded by popular restaurants, bars and lots of public transportation options. Amenities include an outdoor garden, a rooftop lounge, 24-hour security cameras, a laundry room and bike storage. Qualifying New Yorkers earning 130 percent of the area median income can apply for one-bedroom apartments for $2,415/month.
Find out if you qualify

Affordable Housing

February 5, 2018

Sleek and edgy Broken Angel House-replacing condo in Clinton Hill asks $1.5M

This top-floor two-bedroom condominium at 4 Downing Street in Clinton Hill, we're told, is "an iconic turn of the century building recently completely reimagined and overhauled as a boutique condominium." Said overhaul was undertaken in 2015 by Barrett Design and Development on what was previously the indeed-iconic Broken Angel House, once among Brooklyn’s most unique landmarks. Artist Arthur Wood purchased the original tenement building in 1979 for $2,000 and subsequently transformed it into a whimsical, livable sculpture, complete with stained glass windows made from bottles and glass, a cathedral-like glass addition, and brick wings. It was also the backdrop for the documentary "Dave Chappelle’s Block Party." The two-bedroom unit is on the market for $1.55 million; it was purchased as new construction two years ago for $1.42 million.
Take a look

Distinctive Homes

Extell’s Brooklyn Point tower will have the highest rooftop pool in the city

Brooklyn Point renderings via Williams New York

February 5, 2018

Extell’s Brooklyn Point tower will have the highest rooftop pool in the city

By Dana Schulz

It's no surprise that the supertall savants at Extell--who are currently constructing the 1,550-foot Central Park Tower as the world's tallest residential building--used their first foray into Brooklyn to smash yet another sky-high record. The Post reports that the developer's City Point tower, dubbed Brooklyn Point, will boast the highest rooftop pool in the entire city. Sitting at the top of the 720-foot luxury condo at 138 Willoughby Street, it will be a 27-foot-long saltwater infinity pool, complete with a full lounge area, a stargazing observatory, and space for outdoor movie screenings.
More details and views ahead

NYC RENTALS: This week’s roundup of rental news & offers

Images (L to R): 325 Kent Avenue, Instrata Gramercy, 63 Wall Street and Watermark LIC

February 3, 2018

NYC RENTALS: This week’s roundup of rental news & offers

By Ondel Hylton

Images (L to R): 325 Kent Avenue, Instrata Gramercy, 63 Wall Street and Watermark LIC Leasing Launches at 490 Lefferts Avenue; New Brooklyn Rentals Start at $2,000/Month Long Island City Hot Block: Live at the Crescent Club and Get 1 Month Free 63 Wall Street Luxury Rentals: 2.5 Months Free on 17 Month Leases + […]

Real Estate Trends

Live off of bustling Broadway in Bushwick, from $2,726/month

Photo courtesy of CityRealty

February 1, 2018

Live off of bustling Broadway in Bushwick, from $2,726/month

A housing lottery launched on Thursday for three middle-income units in the Brooklyn artist enclave of Bushwick. The five-story building at 22 Melrose Street sits just off of Broadway, a busy thoroughfare that offers lots of restaurants, bars and galleries. Qualifying New Yorkers earning 130 percent of the area median income can apply for two-bedroom apartments for $2,726/month and just one three-bedroom apartment for $3,143/month.
Find out if you qualify

Affordable Housing

February 1, 2018

$749K co-op in Prospect Heights has prewar charm with customized touches

This apartment comes from one of the grand prewar co-op buildings off Eastern Parkway, located in the Prospect Heights Apartment House District and designed to be Brooklyn's alternative to Park Avenue. Located at 135 Eastern Parkway and known as the Turner Towers, the 1926 building holds nearly 200 lovely prewar pads. This one, now on the market for $749,000, is an oversized one- bedroom with beamed ceilings, plaster details, herringbone parquet, the original hardware, and vintage doors. Those classic elements are joined by some more modern, customized touches in storage. The Prospect Heights apartment's grown significantly in value since 2008, when it last sold for $450,000.
See the full space

Distinctive Homes

Where I Work: Weaving and dying indoor hammocks with Bushwick design collective Pouch

The pouch team, L to R: Textile Designer Taylor McMahon; Fabricator Emma Cook; Design Director Melissa Riling; Founder/CEO/Design Director Robert James Ramirez

February 1, 2018

Where I Work: Weaving and dying indoor hammocks with Bushwick design collective Pouch

By Dana Schulz

6sqft’s series “Where I Work” takes us into the studios, offices, and off-beat workspaces of New Yorkers across the city. In this installment, we’re touring high-end interior hammock company Pouch's Bushwick studio.Want to see your business featured here? Get in touch! Picture yourself lounging in a hammock. Perhaps you're a kid on summer break in the backyard or on a trip to the islands relaxing on a beach. Wherever this vision takes you, it's that weightless, carefree feeling that probably comes to mind, which is the sensation that Bushwick-based design collective Pouch is trying to recreate inside the home with their handmade hammocks. According to founder and design director Robert Ramirez, the company believes the feeling of being on vacation should be incorporated into everyday life and that their product provides "a moment of retreat and relaxation amid the craze of city life." Working with a group of artisans in El Salvador who employ a traditional Salvadoran weaving technique and a fellow Bushwick company that naturally dyes all the cotton (using materials like tree bark and avocado pits), Robert has taken his family's roots and brought them to what is arguably the maker capital of the country. 6sqft recently visited Pouch's Brooklyn studio to learn more about the company and see how the hammocks are made, step-by-step.
Learn more about Pouch and tour their studio

A $2.5B plan will bring an additional 5 million square feet to the Brooklyn Navy Yard

Overview of Brooklyn Navy Yard via Brooklyn Navy Yard Development Corporation

February 1, 2018

A $2.5B plan will bring an additional 5 million square feet to the Brooklyn Navy Yard

The transformation of the Brooklyn Navy Yard from a warship building site into an industrial tech-hub got an extra boost this week after a non-profit announced a $2.5 billion building plan that would quadruple its current workforce. As Bloomberg first reported, the Brooklyn Navy Yard Development Corporation, which serves as the site's property manager on behalf of the city, plans to add 5.1 million square feet of manufacturing space to the site, with a little over half of it going towards one large complex.
Find out more

Real Estate Trends

February 1, 2018

Jemima Kirke is selling her luxuriously bohemian Carroll Gardens townhouse for $4.5M

"Girls" star and rock royalty Jemima Kirke has just listed her boho-chic Brooklyn brownstone, according to WWD. The 19th-century townhouse at 408 Clinton Street in photogenic Carroll Gardens has been restored and decor-ed to luxurious hippie-glam perfection by popular architect Richard H. Lewis and now seeks a buyer for $4.5 million.
Take the tour

INTERVIEW: Flank Development’s Mick Walsdorf on bringing timber construction back to NYC

360 Wythe Avenue, courtesy 320 and 360 Wythe/Flank

January 31, 2018

INTERVIEW: Flank Development’s Mick Walsdorf on bringing timber construction back to NYC

Last November, news broke that Manhattan-based firm Flank Architecture + Development would construct two mid-rise office and retail buildings made of timber in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, the first to be built in New York in over a century. Located at 320 and 360 Wythe Avenues, they are currently rising three and five stories, constructed from raw Canadian wood, which will be engineered into nail-laminated timber panels. The timber structure will rise above the concrete foundation, then it'll be covered by a brick facade. Flank co-founder Mick Walsdorf has said the ambitious project "will expand the limits of traditional construction and usher in a new era of sustainability-minded building practices." The firm has grown significantly since Walsdorf and Jon Kully were studying together at Columbia's Graduate School for Architecture, envisioning the possibilities of a joint architecture and development firm. Since then Flank has tackled the development and design of residential and commercial projects across the city, from The Boerum condominium in Brooklyn to the condo conversion at 40 Walker Street in Tribeca. With 6sqft, Mick discusses the history of the firm and the benefits of tackling both the architecture and development side of a project in New York City. He also gets into detail about why Flank decided to take on timber construction, and how construction is expected to unroll this year.
Keep reading for the full interview

Whole Foods Market’s first 365 store on the East Coast opens in Fort Greene

Rendering of entrance via Two Trees Management

January 31, 2018

Whole Foods Market’s first 365 store on the East Coast opens in Fort Greene

Whole Foods Market 365 opened its first East Coast location in Fort Greene on Wednesday, further cementing Downtown Brooklyn as a burgeoning commercial hub. The 30,000-square-foot store is located in Two Trees' 300 Ashland Place, a mixed-use development with 379 amenity-rich rentals above it. As the seventh 365 location in the country, the lower-priced grocery store will offer high-quality products free of artificial flavors, sweeteners and preservatives.
Get the details

New Developments

January 30, 2018

Cozy $625K Park Slope co-op has an air of royalty about it

This top-floor one-bedroom at 781 Union Street in prime north Park Slope may be a walk-up but its aspirations transcend the pedestrian. Perched atop a townhouse co-op, the light-filled apartment has seen a recent renovation within its pre-war pedigree and offers options and plenty of living space.
Have a look

Distinctive Homes

Report: Airbnb listings removed up to 13,500 long-term rentals in NYC over past three years

Photo courtesy of Airbnb

January 30, 2018

Report: Airbnb listings removed up to 13,500 long-term rentals in NYC over past three years

Airbnb is responsible for the loss of between 7,000 and 13,500 long-term rental units in New York City while increasing the median long-term rent in the city by $380 a year, says a new report from McGill University. The study, commissioned by the union Hotel Trades Council, also found 87 percent of entire-home reservations are considered illegal under state law (h/t Politico NY). Mayor Bill de Blasio last year announced his plan to expand the city's Office of Special Enforcement to crack down on illegal short-term rentals; it is illegal for NYC landlords to rent entire apartments for fewer than 30 days.
More this way

January 30, 2018

In Prospect Park South, a freestanding Victorian lined with stained glass lists for $3.25M

Prospect Park South is a neighborhood dominated by historic, freestanding homes, transporting you to a suburbia of New York City. One of those stunning homes at 171 Marlborough Road has just hit the market for $3.25 million. Some locals may know this home as the local Poulet Palace--the backyard's big enough to run a chicken coop. But a peek inside reveals impressive architectural details that include millwork, trims, moldings, columns and decorative balusters. The restored leaded and stained glass is the showpiece of the home, with a unique arched passageway from the dining room to the magical rear porch.
See the rest

Distinctive Homes

Three chances to live in a new building on the Williamsburg-Bushwick border for $2,253/month

Photo via CityRealty

January 30, 2018

Three chances to live in a new building on the Williamsburg-Bushwick border for $2,253/month

Applications are now being accepted for three newly constructed middle-income units at 126 Boerum Street, located in the trendy area of East Williamsburg, just off the Bushwick border. The brand new rental offers an on-site laundry room and central air. Just steps to the L-train at Montrose and the J/M at Lorimer, the apartment building sits near lots of coffee shops, restaurants, and bars. Qualifying New Yorkers earning 130 percent of the area median income can apply for three one-bedroom apartments for $2,253/month.
Find out if you qualify

Affordable Housing

Patti Smith and Robert Mapplethorpe’s one-time Clinton Hill townhouse is $8,000/month

Photo fo Patti Smith and Robert Mapplethorpe via Rena Silverman/Flickr

January 29, 2018

Patti Smith and Robert Mapplethorpe’s one-time Clinton Hill townhouse is $8,000/month

The second floor of this Clinton Hill townhouse at 160 Hall Street once housed punk legend Patti Smith and her then-boyfriend, photographer Robert Mapplethorpe. The year was 1967, and the rent was $80 a month. As the New York Post points out, that translates roughly to about $600 a month today. Now, the completely renovated townhouse dating back to 1901 is on the market for a whopping $8,000 a month. And it's far from "aggressively seedy" as Smith once described it.
Take a look around

Six things you didn’t know about the Prospect Heights Apartment House District

Photo courtesy of the Prospect Heights Neighborhood Development Council

January 26, 2018

Six things you didn’t know about the Prospect Heights Apartment House District

By Historic Districts Council

This post is part of a series by the Historic Districts Council, exploring the groups selected for their Six to Celebrate program, New York’s only targeted citywide list of preservation priorities. Constructed on a lost fragment of the original footprint of Prospect Park, the Prospect Heights Apartment House District is a concentration of 82 apartment buildings dating from 1909-1929. This development was promoted by the Prospect Park Commissioners to attract high-quality construction to complement the nearby Park, Brooklyn Museum, Brooklyn Botanic Garden and Brooklyn Public Library. The buildings, representative of a period in Brooklyn history when building patterns shifted to accommodate a rising middle class, remain exemplary for their architectural integrity and as housing stock for a diverse population. As one of this year's Six to Celebrate recipients, the Prospect Heights Neighborhood Development Council and the Cultural Row Block Association on Eastern Parkway are working to garner local support and submit a proposal for historic district status from the LPC.
Find out six little-known facts about this handsome district

History

City selects de Blasio donors to build pair of towers on NYCHA property in Boerum Hill

Rendering of 120 3rd Avenue via Aufgang Architects

January 26, 2018

City selects de Blasio donors to build pair of towers on NYCHA property in Boerum Hill

The city announced on Thursday their selection of two developers, Arker Companies and Two Trees Management, to build two 16-story apartment towers on parking lots at Wyckoff Gardens, a New York City Housing Authority property in Brooklyn. However, according to the Daily News, the owners of both companies have raised a total of $124,600 for Mayor Bill de Blasio, bringing into question the influence of donations on the city's choice of the two developers.
More this way

January 25, 2018

In Clinton Hill, two Brooklyn Home Company-designed carriage houses ask $3.4M apiece