Market opportunity
50 Pine St.
So,let ‘s say you work down in the Financial District,a Master of the Universe in the making.The market is doing well.Your bonus is shaping up to be pretty fat.The question is:What are you going to do with all that cash?Corner the market on “Wall Street ” DVDs?Buy a closet full of blue shirts with white collars?How about investing in some
real estate instead? More specifically,how about a two-or three-bedroom loft in a downtown luxury building?With features like white glass mosaic wall tiles and titanium French-door refrigerators,the units are designed to impress.And given that 50 Pine sits just a block away from Wall Street,you ‘ll never have trouble making it to work in the morning.
Two-bedrooms start at around $850,000,and three-bedrooms are going for $1.1 million and up.
Contact:Jonathan Phillips and Ginnie Gardiner,Halstead Property,(212)381-6549 and (212)381-6587.
Such great Heights
Crown Heights, Brooklyn
When a person thinks of Crown Heights,luxury condos usually aren ‘t the first thing to cross their mind.Brooklyn ‘s building boom,though,would seem to know no bounds.And so, perks like crown molding and granite countertops are making their way to this gritty neighborhood in a 21-unit development at 575 East New York Ave. Above all,the two-and three-bedroom units should offer space,as they range in size from 1,300 square feet to 2,100 square feet,with each one having its own private balcony.The building itself will feature a shared garden and roof deck.And for those looking to up the ante, there are two 1,800-square-foot penthouse units boasting 9-foot-by-50-foot terraces.Just the
sort of thing you ‘ll need as an urban pioneer.Offers have been accepted for three-bedrooms in the $475,000-to-$800,000 range.
Contact:Peggy Aguayo,Aguayo &Huebener,(718)622-9300,ext.101.
(Central) Park life
15 Central Park West
The coveted address 15 Central Park West has,in its time,been home to horses,hotel guests and an auto com-
pany.Starting in early 2007,the extremely rich will get their turn. Yes,luxury condos are rising on the site of the old Mayflower Hotel.Sprawling across a full city block,the 202-unit building will be split into two wings,a 20-story “House ” section and a 43–story “Tower ” wing..Units will range from the reasonably cavernous (1,026-square-foot one-bedrooms)to the obscenely large (6,617-square-foot penthouses).Units start at $2 million and go up to $45 million.
Residents who bother to venture out of their luxurious abodes will have the run of such offerings as a 13,500-
square-foot gym and a private screening room.And,oh yes,there ‘s the small matter of that park across the street,
too.
Contact:Richard Wallgren,Zeckendorf Marketing,(212)246-2222.
Linking up in the West 50s
The Link
310 W. 52nd St.
Remember when they started referring to parts of Hell ‘s Kitchen as Clinton,the theory being that getting rid of the area ‘s old name would make people forget its past?Here ‘s a better idea – just keep throwing up high-rise condos until you can ‘t even recognize the place anymore.The Link, the latest entrant in the area ‘s high-rise building boom,boasts a dramatic glass exterior and one-,two-and three-bedroom apartments with amenities like Sub-Zero refrigerators and blue-stone countertops. And while much of the area ‘s recent development has taken place
at the neighborhood ‘s western fringe, The Link,at 52nd Street and Eighth Avenue,is right at the heart of things.
Throw down $650,000 for a one-bedroom (two-bedrooms start at $1 million and three-bedroom penthouses
at $2.9 million)and you can be,too.
Contact:Gigi Madl,(212)582-5465.
Rockland river renaissance
Harbors at Haverstraw
Haverstraw, N.Y.
Hudson River views minus the West Side Highway.A mere 25 miles up the river from Midtown,this waterfront development in Haverstraw,N.Y.,will comprise roughly 850 luxury condo and townhome units (starting at $465,900 for a one-bedroom).Also planned is a mile-and-a-half riverfront promenade featuring a marina,a fishing pier,kayak
launching and a coffee house.And if you ever tire of life in this sleepy Rockland County river town,just hop the ferry to Ossining and take the train down.Time it right and you can be at Grand Central Station in 70 minutes or so.
Contact:(845)786-5600.
“Industrial” luxury in Brooklyn
The Terraces
South Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn
The corner of Court and Garnet streets isn ‘t quite Red Hook,but you can certainly see it from there.Which seems somehow appropriate for a building like the South Carroll Gardens development The Terraces,with its cast-iron elements,rough-hewn concrete exteriors and “Nouveau Industrial ” design..Of course, there ‘s nothing particularly “industrial ” about amenities such as black granite vanities and solid maple cabinetry.Marble countertops and
36-inch Viking ranges also lend a touch of class to the scene. And let ‘s not forget the building ‘s namesakes
– its terraces – because there ‘s nothing like waking up on a sunny Brooklyn morning and heading outside to listen to rush hour on the Gowanus Expressway.But the views are more pleasant,and the units are moderately priced,
starting at $409,000 for a one-bedroom and $578,000 for a two-bedroom.
Contact:(718)788-3888.
Good to the last drop
Maxwell Place
Hoboken, N.J.
On the site of an old Maxwell House coffee plant,this huge new luxury development pretty much solidifies the
end of Hoboken ‘s reputation as a down-and-out New Jersey dock town.Instead of Marlon Brando skulking about in “On the Waterfront,” you ‘ve got corporate lawyers soaking in rooftop pools. With four buildings planned (two of
which,1025 and 1125 Maxwell Lane,are on sale now),the development will offer studio,one-,two-and three-bed-
room units,plus a number of town-homes.Prices range from $450,000 to $2 million.All the usual luxury accoutrements will be in place,with touches like stone tile floors and 6-foot soaking tubs classing up the joint. And then,of course,there ‘s the view. You won ‘t be in Manhattan,but being just across the river,you ‘ll certainly get an eyeful of it.
Contact:(888)629-4968.
Welcome to (South) Miami
Valencia South Miami
Ocean property in New York City generally means something like a bland brick spread overlooking the Brighton Beach boardwalk. Down in South Florida,on the other hand, things tend to be a touch more glamorous. Take,for instance,Valencia South Miami. Billed as a “Mediterranean-style resort,” the six-story building offers a fitness center,
a meditation garden,on-site car care and a billiards room and clubhouse.The 294 one-, two-,three-and four-bedroom units feature perks like ceramic tile foyers,stainless-steel kitchens,private terraces and balconies,and garden soaking tubs.And because the neighborhood is still on its way up,prices are much cheaper than,say,South Beach,with
Valencia units starting at $205,000.
Contact:305-662-4807.