Halstead Property

Richard Grossman
Executive Director of Sales, Downtown
rgrossman@halstead.com
(212) 381-4274

Watery Views

You Can Afford to Live on the Water

Lenny Rosenblatt is a native New Yorker who has lives all over town, from Chelsea’s London Terrace to a park-front Park Slope co-op.  But when he moved into a new townhouse development in the Arverne section of Far Rockaway nearly four years ago, he finally felt that he was home.

“I adore it.” He said.  “I have a dog and we walk on the boardwalk and the beach everyday.”  When he arrived his neighbor to the east was a vast expanse of vacant property.  Since then the area has filled in with townhouses.  But he still relishes the sense of peace the ocean brings him.

And he doesn’t regret the long commute on the train.  It’s a small price to pay to live facing the ocean.  “Everyday I’m in the city for work, so it’s the best of both worlds.”

A vast network of islands and peninsulas, New York City provides more waterfront acreage than any other large U.S. metropolotis.  Once reserved for the super-rich, more nd more New Yorkers like Rosenblatt are discovering that watery views are also within reach of those with moderate incomes.

Consider these affordable waterfront neighborhoods

The Lower East Side:  Yes, you heard correctly.  Richard Grossman, Halstead Property’s director of downtown sales, notes that rental on Clinton Street provides views of the East River at a great price—less than $4,000 a month for a three-bedroom apartment.  At the massive Co-Op village off of Grand Street, a two-bedroom unit can cost only $600,000.

Grossman adds one final caveat if you’re looking for an apartment overlooking the water.  “No view anywhere in New York City is protected.”
 

Wednesday, April 09, 2008