A renter’s guide to Downtown Brooklyn
Abolitionist Place Park. Photo courtesy of Downtown Brooklyn Partnership.
Since being rezoned 20 years ago, Downtown Brooklyn has transformed into a dynamic mixed-use district, adding roughly 32 million square feet of new development in residential, commercial, cultural, academic, and open spaces. According to the Downtown Brooklyn Partnership, since 2004, the area has seen over 27,000 housing units completed, with nearly 8,000 units under construction or in the pipeline. As one of the best transit-connected areas in New York City, along with its strong arts and cultural scene, Downtown Brooklyn is becoming a successful example of what a live-work-play neighborhood looks like. If you’re looking to move to the neighborhood, we took a look at some of the best rental buildings to call home.
Some of the properties featured here are part of paid partnerships, which help support our editorial work. All buildings are selected and independently reviewed by the 6sqft team.
The neighborhood
For this article, Downtown Brooklyn refers to the area that was rezoned and where most of the new housing has been built, with boundaries roughly at Tillary Street to the north, Court Street to the west, Schermerhorn Street to the south, and Ashland Place to the east.
According to the Downtown Brooklyn Partnership‘s “Development Dashboard,” since the rezoning, the neighborhood saw 169 projects completed, with over 35,500 new homes completed or in the works. Downtown Brooklyn had a record-breaking 2025 for new development, with 4,833 new residential units completed in the neighborhood, a 65 percent increase from the previous record, 2,925 new units in 2022.
With access to over a dozen subway lines within a small area, the neighborhood is among the most accessible in New York City. It sits at the nexus of the charming neighborhoods of Fort Greene, Boerum Hill, and Brooklyn Heights, with lower Manhattan minutes away.
The apartment buildings
300 Ashland
300 Ashland Place
Since opening in 2016, the 35-story apartment building 300 Ashland Place has stood out in the neighborhood for its distinctive, energetic facade. Developed by Two Trees Management and designed by Enrique Norten of TEN Arquitectos, the silver-clad triangular building offers 379 homes in a prime location. Just south of the Barclays Center, above Atlantic Terminal (and its 11 subway lines and Long Island Rail Road access), next to Whole Foods, and within the Brooklyn Cultural District, 300 Ashland is near just about everything.
The building offers 379 apartments, including a mix of studio to two-bedrooms, some with private terraces, all with oversized windows that allow for panoramic city views and lots of natural light. Minimalist interiors include white oak hardwood floors and kitchens with Caesarstone countertops and Bosch kitchen appliances. Every unit comes with an in-unit washer-dryer, dishwasher, and keyless entry.
Tenants of 300 Ashland have access to a full suite of amenities, including a 29th-floor amenity level with a rooftop terrace designed by James Corner Field Operations, the firm behind the High Line and Domino Park. The peaceful terrace has sun decks, grills, yoga platforms, and outdoor seating. There’s also a 24-hour fitness center and a residents’ lounge equipped for work-from-home days.
Current availabilities start at $3,346/month for a studio. The building usually runs close to fully leased, so prospective renters should monitor availability closely or join the waitlist.
Eighty Nine DeKalb
89 DeKalb
A bridge between the brownstones of Fort Greene and the density of Downtown Brooklyn, 89 DeKalb is a 30-story all-electric tower with over 300 apartments. Developed by RXR and designed by Perkins Eastman, the rental building boasts a facade with a series of step-backs, allowing for a select number of terraces throughout. The tower, which broke ground in 2023 and welcomed its first residents last year, also has several green design elements, including a fully electric power system, air source heat pumps, and a smart glass facade.
Apartments, ranging from studios to two-beds, feature floor-to-ceiling windows with glass that adjusts to the sunlight and frame views of Fort Greene Park and the Manhattan skyline. Kitchens feature sleek appliances and dark stone accents, and bathrooms have quartz countertops and Grohe fixtures.
The building offers 15,000 square feet of interior and exterior amenities, including a third-floor outdoor space on the north and south sides fully outfitted with grills, wet bars, and landscaping. Inside, amenities include a glass-enclosed library, professional podcast studios, co-working space, a community lounge with a double-sided fireplace and pool table, a screening room, and a fitness studio. Another unique perk of living here is the TULU kiosk, which lets you rent everyday household items to free up apartment space, like vacuums, printers, snacks, and more.
Current availabilities at Eighty Nine DeKalb start at $3,970/month; select units are offering up to three months free for a limited time.
240 Willoughby
240 Willoughby Street
Developed by Fetner Properties, 240 Willoughby is a brand new 32-story rental building across the street from the rolling hills and tranquility of the 30-acre Fort Greene Park. The two-tower development, which has 463 apartments, ranging from studios to two-bedrooms, is conveniently located near several subway lines at Nevins Street and DeKalb Avenue and the many stores and local businesses that dot Fulton Street.
Apartments feature floor-to-ceiling windows, in-unit washer/dryers, wide-plank hardwood floors, and stainless steel appliances. Many homes come with private balconies or terraces. Apartments also boast custom integrated Bluetooth speaker systems.
Residents can access over 30,000 square feet of amenities, including a sprawling landscaped roof deck with sweeping views. Other amenity spaces include a business lounge, yoga studio, fitness center, a pet spa, a dog run, a game room, a playroom, and more. There’s also onsite parking available.
Apartments currently start at roughly $3,200/month for a studio; concessions include up to one month free and a $2,000 look-and-lease special.
11 Hoyt
11 Hoyt Street
When it opened in 2021, this Downtown Brooklyn building became the first residential project in New York designed by Jeanne Gang, the architect behind the Museum of Natural History expansion and the Solar Carve Tower on the High Line. The bold tower at 11 Hoyt Street, which has a rippled concrete and glass facade, rises 57 stories and includes 480 condominiums, with many units listed for rent by owners.
Residences, designed by Michaelis Boyd Associates, have soaring 10-foot ceilings, large windows with panoramic views, white oak floors, and Italian stone kitchen counters.
The building offers an impressive 55,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor amenities. Residents can enjoy a 75-foot indoor pool and a large private park with a fitness deck, hot tub, sun deck, and playground. There’s also a game room, children’s playroom, co-working lounge, dog park, and more.
Current rentals at 11 Hoyt start at $3,700/month for a studio, $4,950/month for a one-bedroom, and $7,500/month for a two-bedroom.
One Boerum Place
One Boerum Place offers condo-quality luxury rentals at the nexus of Downtown Brooklyn and Brooklyn Heights. Developer Avery Hall originally planned for condo residences, but pivoted to rentals instead due to market conditions following the pandemic. The 22-story building has 138 apartments, 96 of which are market-rate and the remaining are designated as affordable.
Residences include one-, two-, three-, and four-bedroom units, more than half with outdoor space. Interiors, designed by AD100 design firm Gachot Studios, feature 10-foot ceilings, white oak flooring, and sound-insulated windows. In the kitchen, you’ll find custom-wood cabinetry, polished-nickel countertops, and high-end integrated appliances.
Amenities include a 24/7 doorman, a two-story fitness center complete with Peloton bikes and a yoga room, an indoor swimming pool, a sauna, a pet spa, an entertainment lounge, a children’s playroom, and a parking garage with electric car charging stations.
Current availabilities start at $6,150 for a one-bedroom with private outdoor space. Learn more about the building here.
505 State Street
Designed and developed by Alloy Development, 505 State Street is part of the mixed-use multi-tower development Alloy Block, which will bring 1,020 total apartments, 60,000 square feet of office space, 60,000 square feet of retail space, and two public schools. When it opened in 2024, the 44-story 505 State Street became the first all-electric skyscraper in New York City. The final piece of Alloy Block is One Third Avenue, a 730-foot building with 583 apartments, expected to be the tallest Passive House in the world.
At 505 State Street, all 441 apartments replace functions normally run by gas with electricity. The units have induction cooktops, heat pump dryers, and natural materials like concrete and wood.
Amenities include a 24-hour attended lobby with a coffee shop, a bike storage room, in-building laundry, a pet wash, and a bodega operated by TULU. There’s also a 3,000-square-foot gym, a yoga studio, a children’s playspace, a reservable lounge, a screening room, and a workspace.
Current availabilities start at $3,895/month for a studio. See all available rentals at 505 State Street here.
The Brooklyn Tower
85 Fleet Street
One of the most-well known buildings in the neighborhood is The Brooklyn Tower, which, literally, stands above all others in the borough. Designed by SHoP Architects, Brooklyn Tower is 93 stories tall, making it the tallest in Brooklyn. The tower rises from the landmarked Dime Savings Bank of Brooklyn, which holds an entry to the residential tower and will eventually have retail space. The building features cascading setbacks and soaring columns, topped by a neo-Deco crown.
The supertall skyscraper holds roughly 400 luxury rentals and 150 condos, with interiors by Gachot Studios and SHoP. After an initial struggle to launch, Silverstein Properties took over the Brooklyn Tower in 2024 and relaunched sales and leasing last year.
Expected to open, belatedly, this fall, the building’s 100,000 square feet of amenity space includes a seven-floor Life Time fitness center. The massive gym has a rooftop pool designed around the historic bank’s Gustavino dome, studio classes and personal training, a luxury spa, co-working and library spaces, and elite strength and functional training spaces. Residents will also have access to sky lounges and terraces on the 66th and 85th floors.
Current availabilities for rentals start at $3,500/month for a studio and go up to $13,010/month for a high-floor three-bedroom.
The culture and lifestyle
Art and culture have long been associated with the area. Founded in 1861, the Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM) is one of the oldest performing arts centers in the country. The institution hosts theater, dance, music, opera, and independent films across several venues in the neighborhood. Since 1979, BRIC Arts Media has made contemporary art accessible to the community through events, exhibits, and programming like the annual BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn! in Prospect Park. The Brooklyn Paramount, a French Baroque-style theater from 1928, was used as a gym for Long Island University for several decades before being restored as a theater and reopened in 2024. And there’s the Barclays Center, which opened in 2012 and hosts roughly 70 big-name music acts each year, in addition to being home to the Brooklyn Nets and the New York Liberty.
For dining out in the area, try Gage & Tollner, a chophouse on Fulton Street that dates to 1879 and reopened in 2021 after being closed for several years, Junior’s, the original location of the Brooklyn diner with the best New York cheesecake, and DeKalb Market in City Point, with a stacked lineup of diverse vendors and two bars. Also, the Michelin-starred Taiwanese dim sum restaurant Din Tai Fung will open on Fulton Street next year.
Day-to-day shopping is easy in Downtown Brooklyn, thanks to a plethora of neighborhood retail, centered largely around Fulton Street. City Point is home to a Trader Joe’s, Target, and Alamo Drafthouse, and several national retailers are located on this block. Discount grocery stores Aldi’s and Lidl opened on Fulton in the last year. Boutique and smaller shops can be found in nearby Boerum Hill and Fort Greene.
Although not home to as much green space as neighboring areas, residents can connect with nature at the newly opened Abolitionist Place Park, designed by landscape architecture firm Hargreaves Jones. The park offers a playground, a water play feature, a central lawn, a paved area with boulders, seating, and a dog run. Bordering the neighborhood is Fort Greene Park, a lovely 30-acre public park with rolling hills, lots of trees, and weekly farmers’ markets. On the other end of the district is Brooklyn Bridge Park, an 85-acre waterfront park with prime views of Manhattan and the Brooklyn Bridge.
RELATED:
