building at 892 Bergen Street

Pioneer, do what the cop told you to do:

Check out that block from 7-9 am. Alcoholics get up early, too, as I found out in my years volunteering in homeless shelters. Possibilities include loudness and vomit.

Anyway that cop gave you great advice, better than you're going to get here, so you need to act on it. You need to see for yourself if you're going to be comfortable, or not. In general druggies are OK if they're getting their drug...hell, I've played more gigs than I should have with people like that!

{Manhattan real estate agent.}

I lived around the corner (Classon and Prospect Pl) from 2004 to 2007. I generally tried to avoid Bergen St, as every block further from Eastern Parkway (until you get to Fulton St) gets sketchier and sketchier. However, it's not because of the meth heads - they are pretty harmless. They usually just wander over to Classon and Bergen and hang out in front of a bodega there. The problem is little wanna-be thugs in the neighborhood. The kind who break into your building on new years eve and mug people in the lobby (yes, that happened).

Wanting to buy and hoping that things had changed a bit in two years, we went to look at this building a few weeks ago. The area hasn't changed that much. There's a smattering of services around, but still not a lot. You WILL get sh*t from the young thugs in the neighborhood - as a black male, I got a lot less than many of my neighbors, but my time there certainly wasn't without incident.

That being said, the building is nice, and you're right around the corner from the Franklin Ave shuttle stop. The shuttle runs on a very consistent schedule during rush hour and connects to a ridiculous number of trains. Put on your NYC blinders and walk a few blocks west, and you'll be in prime Prospect Heights, then Park Slope.

If you're comfortable living with the thuggerati, don't worry about the meth clinic.

i just noticed this building. Pricing seems very good. Will take a look at it next weekend. It seem like there has been no sales yet. I wonder how long they have been on the market.

I was really interested in this building at one point, but after dropping by to check out the block I wasn't remotely interested anymore. Really disappointing. People coming in and out of this building would not be safe, plain and simple. Anyone who chooses to stick the target of 892 Bergen resident on their back is putting themselves at risk, at least the way the area is right now.

The neighborhood has A LOT of potential, but I can't see it getting nice for a really, really long time. There's an abandoned Heinz factory down the street that could be turned into some pretty nifty condos someday. Biggest upside is the lack of projects nearby though. That means the "thuggerati" (lol) can eventually get priced out and won't have $400 rent to fall back on right across the street from luxe condos. Even though Fort Greene is way nicer than this part of Prospect Heights in 2010, all the projects are going to keep that area from ever becoming really nice. Eventually this neck of the woods will probably (hopefully) feel like an extension of Park Slope. A few blocks down towards Eastern Parkway it's already much nicer.

I can't believe how many of these apartments are in contract. Are all the buyers investors who are hoping to rent the places out for 10 or 20 years until they can sell them for a worthwhile profit? This doesn't seem like too big a risk to run for investors, but make sure you really do your homework before you think about actually living in this building.

We've been living in this building for a couple months, and it's great. There's a nice community here, the doorman is quite friendly and the super is extremely attentive and responsive. A google group amongst the owners has helped spur dialogue with the sponsor and management company where necessary, and generally speaking everything is as I would like it to be as a first-time owner.

Yes, there's a treatment center next door, which is not nearly as problematic as the previous posts would suggest. And, I haven't seen the Thugerati so much as beat cops ambling the streets as well as patrol cars. I have no concern for safety here. It's a shame a two-second judgment would prevent a great experience as ours.

I've lived in this building since Oct 2010 and I love it. I looked at a lot of new construction, and this building was heads and shoulders above many others in terms of workmanship. I researched this area heavily while apt-hunting and have seen a lot of growth and development in a year's time. In just the last few months since I moved in, several new bars/restaurants/shops have opened, including the Compare Foods supermarket coming soon around the corner on Bergen St, Thirstbar and Dean Street gastropub, plus a new gourmet market on Franklin. You can't beat having the 2/3 and 4/5 express trains at Franklin Ave. And while I don't drive, for those who do, a private and locked parking lot is pretty great. I find the neighborhood to be very safe and friendly, and everyone else living in the building that I've met have been great.

I have lived in the building since Oct and the Rehab center doesn't worry me as those who frequent one are trying to change their lives for the better and have already reached their personal rock bottom. Previously I lived two blocks from the Brooklyn House of Detention off Smith Street in Boreum Hill for the past twelve years and haven't seen its presence have a negative effect on real-estate development or community safety.

892 Bergen is two blocks from the Park Place stop on the Franklin Ave. Shuttle which is an eight minute run from end to end ( four stops in total ). The Franklin shuttle is a dedicated line, it doesn't share its' tracks with any other train lines so major delays are virtually nonexistent. You can transfer to the A & C trains one stop away at Franklin or to the B & Q trains two stops away at Prospect Park. You could even walk to the Clinton Washington G if the closer lines were having delays. The B65 Bus stops across the street from the building and is a 21 minute run to Smith and Bergen which gives you easy access to Trader Joe's on Court Street and all that Atlantic Ave has to offer.

According to hopstop.com the building is a twenty minute walk ( 5-8 minute bike ride ) to Prospect Park, Botanic Garden, Brooklyn Museum, Public Library, Farmer's market, Eastern Athletic Health Club & Pool, and Vanderbilts or Washington Ave's developing restaurant & bar scene. For better or worse I think Franklin Ave. has the same potential for growth that Smith Street had twelve years ago. The area is surrounded by warehouses that have been bought up by developers, once the lending climate changes for the better this area will begin to be filled with like buildings, this is a good time to invest while rates are still low.

I've been living at 892 for about 4 months now, and I (a 5'3" female) have never felt unsafe. The people going to the meth clinic next door even greet me on my way to work in the morning and tell me to "have a beautiful day." I think the misconception is that they're drooling, strung-out crazies who are going to stab you in broad daylight for pocket change, but, really, they're just trying to get better.

The block isn't aesthetically pleasing, but the neighborhood rocks, I am already on a first-name basis with the bartenders at my regular spot and there are so many affordable and delicious places for dinner and brunch.

I've noticed the only friends who have visited and told me that I "live in the ghetto" are the admitted yuppies who are intimidated by the idea of "Brooklyn" in general. So if the neighborhood scares you, you'd probably ruin it anyway, so do the rest of us a favor and move to Williamsburg instead.

Anyone have any updates on this block? This building? Did you buy there or not, pioneer?