$10 Million Living on Avenue D

1.

The building is not on Avenue D.

2.

What? Are you sure it was $10 Million to live on Avenue Death? I just don't believe it.

3.

I just don't see this as being comparable to other formerly fringe neighborhoods. I live not far from Ave D and am not squeamish about things, but I don't think it's going to happen.

Just like with much of Harlem, I have to believe that if it hasn't fully gentrified yet in this hot market (and in one of the hottest neighborhoods like the East Village) it won't happen.

Those housing projects are far from being overly ghetto and on a summer afternoon have lots of families and kids hanging out, but it would still, IMO, repel lots of the type of buyers they're looking for. It seems like those housing projects 'own' that area in a way that the projects on 9th in Chelsea don't.

4.

what about the ones that want to take the L or F train? A C E, jesus, thats across town. what a dipshit.

5.

I will never buy near the projects no matter what. And I am hispanic. I will prefer to live in The West Village or the Upper West Side.

6.

Yeah right Jose. I know that you live on Avenue D. You are trying to keep yuppies away. But it won't work. New gentrifiers are going to expelled your sorry ass out soon! Then see if you can afford the West Village or the UWS.

7.

The "D" is for Douchebag.

8.

Many wealthy people ride the subway. NYC's transit network is not a class based system like Los Angeles or Atlanta. Celebrities often don't write the subway, but I know a CFO who refuses to pay for cabs. He likes the walk to/from the subway and unlike what you like to read here, many rich people are fiscally responsible. It's the person making 200k a year that drones on about the perils of the subway and must have private cars at all times.

9.

Thanks for speaking up Jose- and by all means ignore the moron who replied to your posting. I am not Hispanic, but none of my Hispanic friends or coworkers would even dream of living in a Project. There's nothing wrong with low-income housing if those living there need to be- but it's unfortunate that some people actually aspire to that.

10.

It will only get worse #9. With the high cost of living here in NYC, no one wants or has a desire to leave the projects, and why should they? Subisidized housing that even in the ghetto is below market, no responsibility for mainteance, etc...so basically if these persons were to say make their way to 30-50k a year, they'd lose their project subsidy and we all know that 50k a year is POOR in NYC. What then? They'd likely rent some slum worse than their current project AND have to go to work everyday to pay for it. The cycle will never end until NYC puts conditions on its public housing like ATL does. It is a privilege, not a right.

11.

You're absolutely spot-on Jigg. On a different topic- there's an article in today's AM NewYork about a boycott up in Harlem. Something to do with people not shopping at local businesses to bring about some kind of "drought"- a mass protest of development displacing long time residents. I guess the goal is to draw attention to all these people leaving the area, and shopping eslewhere. At least that's what they're telling them to do.

12.

Bing,

‘one of the hottest neighborhoods like the East Village’

The EV has flat-lined

http://www.curbed.com/archives/2007/05/17/three_cents_worth_checking_under_the_hood.php

Or do you mean hot by overrun with BT visitors.

Moron

13.

What a snotty broker. As stated above, lots of wealthy people take the subway. Do these apartments come with a garage space? If not, forget it.
Corporate cars taking people home is one thing, but how about getting to work at 8AM? Good luck.

ps- I saw Anderson Cooper on the subway a few months ago, and I'm sure he could have a car take him wherever and whenever.

14.

Anderson was probably hunting for some late night schlong.

15.

Curbed, your blog was instrumential in selling the Flowerbox! Let's work again soon!

16.

I think it's an intown/out of town thing. People who are wealthy and live in NYC probably take cars/taxis more often. But upper middle class types who take the train home probably still take the subway to get to Penn/GCT.

17.

I'd say "hot by BT Visitors, Murray Hill bitches, and their useless Fratboy friends". That's the state of the EV these days. I knew it was time to leave when I couldn't walk through the hordes of people converging on 2nd Avenue every friday and saturday night. That, the horrible noise, and the stench that's emitted by the sewers and sidewalks all summer clinched it.

I feel so much better now.

18.

Curbed, you got it wrong - this E.vil monstrosity is on 7th between C and D, NOT 6th and D. 6th between C&D is one big project.

19.

Anderson Cooper was probably cruising the high schoolers just getting out at 2:30PM.

"Come here young man... I'm AC360... I'll keep you honest."

20.

So this is Seth Tepper? Not Seth Tapper? Is this the same guy who built the duplex on top of Allen and Delancey aith Serge Becker?

21.

This building will be good for the filthy Rich! Because that area is so filthy and is full of dirty people.

22.

Good luck finding a taxi in that part of town at 8AM!

23.

UpperEastSider, some people are happy living in the grittiness of NYC (look at the Meat Packing District), not live in a place that reminds them of the suburbs (Upper East Side)! OK!

24.

Can I just point out this little golden nugget on the site:
http://www.flowerboxbuilding.com/neighborhood.html

No comment.

25.

Dear Project haters-- There are projects in Chelsea at 28th. There are already projects in the EVil b/w 5th and 6th and there are projects in TriBeCa. There are also projects in LES. Not to mention the Section 8 housing which infiltrates untold other buildings plus the 20% lower income set asides in most if not all new rentals over the last 15 years. You have no idea what you are talking about. Projects will not hinder gentrification, especially on Avenue D which, by the way, has been "gentrifying" slowly but surely since I was a youngin in the 80s. Although, living in and around C and D is a constant hassle due to the lowlife classless ricans and dominicans who clearly have no visible means of employment other than swillin 40s and impregnating "they bitches and ho's" all day. WIC-en it over to the Pioneer to buy hamhocks, funyuns and cerveza and ridin "they" bikes cursin at whities on C and B. Forget about going to school and getting a job--thats sellin out, right pedro?

26.

Que pasa? Gringos go home!

27.

good one but thats what mexicans call us. no mexicans on C and D. Hell, Mexicans would be an upgrade from those ricans and dominicans.

28.

Picasso of the Streets, bless you for that. I haven't laffed so hard in ages. Now if you don't mind, I'm off on the Coolest Low Rider in the East Village to get my Shape-Up at an Old-School Barber Shop.

Pip pip,

29.

Where are the projects in tribeca?
'you mean independence plaza? That was a Mitchell Llama building which is not the same thing. Unless you are lumping ML buildings together with projects.

30.

Good luck finding a taxi in that part of town at 8AM!
By lola at May 31, 2007 1:26 PM

Ever hear of car services or having your own driver. If you are spending $10 mil on a home you have a black car not a yellow drive you. The price is still ridiculous though. Spending that much to live there? weird and not likely to be a good investment, this buyer will lose money on this place.

31.

Pedro, we are coming home. :)

32.

24-- just lovely. cafe pepe rosso is a fake italian joint run by dominicans--hell if there are any "artists and poets" with which you can "sip espressos" over there. you can, however, down shitty beer with euro trash at zum schneider all hours of the day, or overpay for feaux vietnamese at bao 111. or perhaps you'd like to get served espresso with a true attitude at 9th street espresso. All that and get harrassed and/or robbed by the locals while the cops hit on chicas all day. Avenue C is shit, the East Village has gone to shit. It is no longer a must see nabe. Hasn't been for some time.

33.

U got it #32. It went to shit 10 years ago. People just think it's great, because they don't have a comparison to make. Just like the rest of the people who moved to this city 20 minutes ago. It's a fucking skeleton of what it was- it's pathetic.

Now we'll hear all the comments about how dangerous the city was in the 70'and 80's, and it's so much better now that blah, blah, blah has been done- fuck that. I'd rather walk down 8th Avenue with the hookers like I used to do- at least they had a personality.

34.

Other than the developer and Warburg, is there actual evidence that somebody paid $9.2 MM (per Warburg) for the penthouse? The floor plan for the penthouse look good, but not $9.2 MM good. May be marketing. You could of just bought the tenement next door for a fraction of the price, and built your own place (with money left over).

Also, what is up with the website? Good for them for selling the units, but the website is a joke. People with this much money to spend generally do not ride low ride bikes, appreciate Latin “street art”, go to “old school” Latin barber shops or play dominoes in the community garden.

35.

by the way---not to mention that thos e"old school latin barber shops" won't even serve whitie. I've been given the "no hablo ingles" bullshit from at least four places on C and in LES. These people are flat out racist. Only difference is they don;t make the rules so no one cares. You'd think these people would be sucking our cocks in that we pay for their existence with our mucho tax dollar while they suck 40 ouncers all day and smoke cheeba.

36.

#35, those shops won't serve whitie because most of them are just fronts. Haircuts are definitely not the main source of income over at Don Juan's, if you know what I mean.

37.

the developer paid 1.59 MM for the land and every unit is currently under contract.

38.

36--you're saying they're money laundering spots? thats what I suspected. well, they cleaned those places out of nolita, they'll clean them out of evil (eventually) but by that time, i'll have three kids and live in hackensack.

39.

#37 - fully signed contracts or just accepted offers?

40.

#38 - no, they definitely straight up sell drugs out of the haircutters on my block.

41.

I can't wait to see the MD's at work come into work on their "Lowriders" with their new fade haircuts.

The apts should include a low rider so you can get to the train faster.

42.

love the guy in the guido smoking jacket. Also, there;s nothing tranquil about those unsightly community gardens. utter waste of real estate.

43.

Village View apartments on East 5th are also Mitchell Lama. Lots of old people live there. Very calm and not a crime hotspot of any sort.

44.

Sarah Jay, alcoholic beatch of Avenue D, where are you now?

45.

I am just stunned that this building is totally in contract (at least according to the website and streeteasy). I would have never thought that in this area people would be willing to pay over $1,000 psf. I like the east village quite a bit, but it seems to me that the gentrification possibilities of this micronabe are just too limited.

And the fact that someone with $9MM+ to spend would do it in this building, of all places! For that kind of money, I'd rather but a nice townhouse in GV!

46.

I agree NNH, but if true, it could be that these people either know something we don't or are terribly uninformed.

Still, you can't argue with people putting down real money.

47.

As the video on the selling site points out with its pix of low riders and dominoes, the buyers are obviously people so rich that they feel fake & think that living near poorer people with a culture with give them some kind of authenticity. Pathetic.

48.

#45-- EV people want to live near vibrant young people, not near blue haired bitties a hop, skip and jump apart from the upper east side breed (see: west village). yes, there are poor people in EV, particularly b/w C and D but not nearly as many as you think. This place has been steadily gentrifying and has loads of yuppie and pre-yuppie types, including kids of wealthy folks, students, artists and the like. Alphabet City is not how you remember it. Not by a long stretch.

49.

Which is exactly why it sucks #45. It's you and people like you who suck the life out of nyc neighborhoods.

50.

It is with great sadness that I am announcing the closing of Kurowycky Meat products after 52 years. Today’s economic climate just does not support a small business on the scale that ours endeavors to survive in. Thank you all for all your years of support. We are closing as of this Saturday, June 2nd [2007]. It was a great ride and again, we thank you all.

Jerry Kurowyckyj

51.

The less Polish sausage, the better. In fact, fuck sausage altogether.

52.

The less sunchild the better.

53.

"Nowadays, people know the price of everything and the value of nothing."

obviously.

54.

I think Ave D is a freakin war zone,almost everynight I hear gun shots,and I myself was Mugged on 10th st. by the pool waiting for the bus on a Sunday morning.I gave up my metro card and $22 I had, and they still hit me over the head with a gun and told me where the hell was I going with $22.F.Y.I. I haven't took the bus there in 9 months.

55.

Who wouldn't pay $10 million for a penthouse apartment in NYC with nice views of the projects, plenty of local restaurants, Freshdirect and convenient access to crack, smack, meth, weed, oxy, "e" and pretty much anything illicit? You can even have the stuff delivered to your door. It is a small price to pay for such luxury and convenience.

:-)