What do people think about 580 Carroll?

at that location paying almost $1000 psf, expensive to say the least. you can get deals in prime manhattan that will rival this.

Also, within Park Slope, that location is not ideal. Between 4th and 5th ave is not nearly as good as being closer to the park.

I think it looks great. Very Cool, Indeed. I am really considering purchasing a two bedroom. It is close to park, restaurants, and it has a lovely garden. THe units I was looking at were around $960k, shy of $800/sf. The design is pretty unique. Does anyone know any other small developments that offer similar amenities, Parking, Garden and Large Panoramic Windows? Thank you.

I stopped by today's open house and thought the building was rather lovely. I currently live on the Upper West Side and my husband and I have been thinking of moving to Park Slope.

Does anyone know why Park Slope is rated the top neighborhood in NYC??? Carroll Street seemed rather pretty with all those small row homes. Seems like there are a bunch of great restaurants up the block? Al Di La, BLUE RIBBON, and some new great Italian Place.

What does 4th Avenue have to do with the this development? It seems nicely snug in the middle in the block, with a rather appealing setback.

Does anyone know the story of the building on the corner, the new big development. What will happen to that block when 60 new units are unleashed. I imagine it will only get better, no? New developments seem to bring in higher income families that take care of the area. Or am I mistaken.

Very Intriguing. Overall I thought the building was rather affordable when you compare it to the new developments on the Upper West Side.

Yes, Very Intriguing.

Annabelle - you work for the brokers or the developers of 580 Carroll I imagine? ;)

We really liked this building too but HATE the kitchen layout - it's basically a wall of appliances in the living room. Have never seen this type of kitchen in new construction in Park Slope (where people actually cook). We were so disappointed - having a kitchen like that is just a deal-breaker - it's like 20 Pine only worse.

Otherwise, the units are really, really nice - love the windows and the location is great. I actually think it's priced pretty well.

StreeteasyNewbie,

The kitchens are fine, they are actually very pretty and clean. Stainless Steel Marble and White Lacquer...of course, i rather have a classic eight on the upper west side, but that is a fortune. For a high ceiling, hugh frameless windowed apartment in Park Slope, how else can you maximize space.

Actually, my sister lived in Denmark, she said the apartment has a northern european feel. Very Efficient. Maybe, I am too open minded.

How much is are three bedroom with closed kitchens going for in Park Slope?

PS: DO NOT BE A HATER ON BLOGS - LIVE IS TOO SHORT TO BE ANGRY AND JEALOUS....SEE THE BEAUTY OF LIFE....BE SIMPLE.

Annabelle - You sound like you are HIGH on life.... Does anyone know if you can use the garden for entertaining? Can owners have garden parties on the lawn? Or outdoor movies?

How negotiable is the developer...i want to make an offer on the penthouse three bedroom on the fifth floor- but it seems a bit expensive...what is the going rate for parking in the Slope?

When do they expect closings?

Yes the kitchen looks sleek and modern but seems to be suitable only for making a sandwich. For a family that cooks quite often, it will take a lot of effort to keep the open kitchen clean and presentable, since it's so incorporated into the living space. We really liked the apartment and building too but the kitchen was the show stopper. Adding and island will make the kitchen much more practical, but then there won't be much living room left. Too bad...

Lots of people now seem to want an open kitchen - when I show places with a separate kitchen people always want to know if they can knock the walls down between the kitchen and living room. I guess it's because so much of at-home entertaining usually winds up with one group hanging out in the kitchen and another in the living room if they're separate

We live in Tribeca and want to have our first new baby. Who cooks in NYC. Both my husband and I work so much that we typically go out or order in. Although we do like to cook occasionally, I can not imagine those kitchens are inoperable.

It must be nice to be a stay at home mom. I just feel like that being independent and earning a good income is so much more important to me than being a slave to any type of kitchen.

just reviewed 6 floorplans and i can say that most of the apartments do not have a kitchen or a livingroom. in any building, even 1960's, you get a 12X20 livingroom. in these units, they shoe in a breadbox kitchen. the only other places where i've seen this is one room studios.

Sandra, if you'll decide to have your yuppie friends come over for a lunch or dinner, you'll have no space to even cut up your salad. just do catering and... wait, you don't even have enough space to put the platters that were brought in for you in the kitchen.....

There's a lot of marketingspeak in this thread. Or should I say Large Panoramic Windows Are Very Intriguing?
I like the building, very Miami. It's a bit of an odd duck in its unMiami location, but still appealing. The main issue is that they crafted 2 and 3 bedroom apartments but the layouts are not family-friendly at all, with floor to ceiling windows in the bedroom, not much storage place and the dreaded DLK. They're bachelor pads for exhibitionists, not that they're anything wrong with that.

So what other developments look good in the market?

What a beautiful building- great amenities, with really nice finishes! I l have looked at many condos and this one is by far my favorite. I am hoping that thinks will all fall in place and i will be able to buy an apartment here! I'm checking out mortgage options now.

Pssst! You forgot to change handle, don't look now but your panties are showing.

Maly,
I remember you now...you were that man in the corner picking his nose and touching his pee-wee....be nice when you talk about women.
Silly Boy.

you're doing this building a real disservice. Now any prospective buyer will find this thread, and realize the brokers are slimy douchebags.

wow this person created all these handles just to have a conversation with herself. don't they realize that all the posters on here know the names of the other posters and a bunch of new handles all in a row is a dead give away for fake posts by brokers.

"Overall I thought the building was rather affordable when you compare it to the new developments on the Upper West Side. "

Yeah, that happens a lot when you compare two completely unrelated things. However, if you compare the prices to actual comps, you'll see what a colossal ripoff they are. Yes, Very Intriguing.

You're welcome.

We appreciate all your comments, criticisms, and feedback. Developing a building of this quality, style, and nature has been a pleasure and a challenge. 580 Carroll is honest in its use of materials, intelligently designed and provides a clean and elegant backdrop for people's daily lives. We hope that it’s an asset to the neighborhood.

We stand behind the modern design and the quality of construction; we look forward to you making it your home.

Should you have any questions regarding our development, please feel free to contact me: sludwick@blackhousedev.com

Warm Regards,
Sean P. Ludwick

I think it's not in Park Slope.

"I think it's not in Park Slope."

Matt, no offense, but it's amazing how many things you get wrong on this board. Is Al di la not in Park Slope either?

Sean, I think the lesson from this thread is that honesty is great, for materials, construction AND marketing. Creating fake comments on Streeteasy, so badly, is sales malpractice.

Sean, can you share with us your "intelligent design" aspects of having no kitchens, wall of windows in bedrooms in a non-hirise development and smallish bedrooms. let's not even start with being overpriced for the area.

not to mention that this ill conceived miami beach style condo looks out on the real cheesy queens inspired rental across the street with rents starting at 1800 ...for that you will pay sean ludwicks ridiculous prices?..not to mention the two new really loud bars opened up around the corner on fourth avenue...a loud beer hall and a live rock venue

"Matt, no offense, but it's amazing how many things you get wrong on this board."

Not this time.

Park Slope doesn't start until 6th Avenue.

This building is in GOWANUS.

i wonder if the toxic waste from the superfunded gowanus has a plume reaching this far..i know that the "whole foods" site on third avenue maybe three blocks away site is so polluted as to require remediation..did they tet the subsoil conditions here...i remember sean ludwicks reason for for endlessly asking for a variance was that their due diligence did not find out about the underground concrete vaults from the electric sustation (or something like that) that was formerly located here...did they ever test for radon or toxic waste?

"Park Slope doesn't start until 6th Avenue.
This building is in GOWANUS."

So Park Place is in Gowanus? I love how the Park Slope border war thing gets rehashed every couple of months, but this is as egregious as I've seen.

Anyway, has anyone actually seen these yet?

These are Loft Apartments, lofts have open kitchens! LOFT! New Construction with Loft Apartments...Lofts are open spaces, not confined to SoHo or Dumbo...Why is that so hard to understand....and this is certainly in PARK SLOPE....its PS 321 and its down the road from Al Di La. What else do you need to understand that this Park Slope? The building looks great...good luck!

This is a great looking building in my favorite part of Park Slope. I looked at 3 different 2 bedrooms here a few weeks ago. The kitchens look odd in the distorted photos, but actually feel right when you are actually in the room. If you don't like the totally open layout you could always install an island of some sort. The rooms are not large, but are smartly proportioned. The giant windows make the spaces feel much larger than they are. The overexposed bathroom on the second floor seemed a little odd, there's plenty of room for a cool screen or shade though. I was a bit disappointed with some of the finishing work. The marble shelf glued to the edge of the bathtub, for example, looked home-made and had the perfect deep crevices for growing mold and mildew. All of the minor flaws I noticed could easily be remedied. Overall the building seemed solid and comfortable. The entry garden is wonderful. I've looked at dozens of new apartments all over Brooklyn and this is definitely one of the better quality developments out there. Check out Third & Bond too; it's similarly priced and the apartments are beautiful.

"This is a great looking building in my favorite part of Park Slope."

LOLOL!!!! That's like saying East 110th and First Avenue is your "favorite part" of Carnegie Hill.

*****

"The kitchens look odd in the distorted photos, but actually feel right when you are actually in the room. If you don't like the totally open layout you could always install an island of some sort."

Seriously? In the 2 bed/2 bath layout that I'm looking at, the "Living Room" (with kitchen appliances and fixtures lined up on one side of the wall) has no room for an island to separate anything. It looks and feels like a giant eat-in kitchen with no living room at all, but rather that you put your living room furniture in the kitchen.

*****

"The rooms are not large, but are smartly proportioned."

There's nothing "smart" about a master bedroom that's only 11x9. That's just sad.

*****

"The giant windows make the spaces feel much larger than they are."

Not to mention the descriptions: 919 feet in the listing, versus 720 feet in reality.

how many of the comments here are developers posing as bloggers and how many are bloggers posing as developers?

this is a ridiculous thread. I have never seen more disguised brokers / developers in one thread

Wasnt there some conroversy with this building, with zoning?
Wasnt it in Brownstoner?

Its great location, but i worry about quality of construction.

http://www.brownstoner.com/mte/mt-search.cgi?IncludeBlogs=6%2C42%2C+2%2C4%2C13%2C18%2C19%2C21%2C22%2C30%2C32%2C36%2C37%2C38%2C41%2C43%2C45%2C49&search=580+carroll+st

It was many places - they wanted a variance due to "hardship" (AKA lack of research and due diligence) and wanted to build three townhouses in what is the front garden area, in front of the primary building. The BSA rejected their proposal:

(from Curbed)

The BSA passed along its actual resolution, which doesn't look too kindly on the developers' pleas: "The applicant's inability to realize a reasonable return is due to mismanagement rather than actual costs...any hardship claimed by the applicant is self-created." Choice words!

@Looking555, I did look at the building carefully and with a couple of friends. I think overall the construction is very solid. As I mentioned earlier, I think they didn't spend enough time on all of the finishing details but all of that can easily be fixed.
@oliver65 and @dcorreale, I know! Several of these comments sound very fishy to me.
@NYCMatt, why laugh at my what I consider to be my favorite part of PS? I've lived here for 6 years and love being away from the hubub of the nearly dead 7th Ave, close to all the good spots on 5th, an easy walk to Smith and Court Streets, the subway stop a block away, etc.

When brokers are this absurdly shady--Annabelle12, SandraJuhn and whomever else--I just stay away. If they're willing to lie and pretend to be people actually looking to buy instead of looking to sell, I'd be worried about everything in the building they're selling. Especially new construction. Personally, I'd never buy in a new building. Too many ways for builders to cut corners and screw you over. Too many ways for them to push you through the final walk through without actually confirming that everything is ok. And I firmly believe that some brokers have no qualms whatsoever about screwing a person by selling them a poorly constructed apartment over so that they get their 3% cut.

Just my two sense--I'd stay FAR FAR away from this building, given the apparent integrity of the people trying to sell it.

x

Ok to sum up what I have read on this blog.

1) Negative blog comments are always better than positive ones - Positive people are losers.
2) Real Estate is only a good investment when you can steal the property or if it is FREE - Renting Is Better
3) All developers and brokers are thieves, liars, and should never be trusted - Real Estate Market is Bad
4) Architects do not know what they are building - Common folks now design better
5) 5th Avenue is not Park Slope -Park Slope is only on 8th Ave - Everyone else is a Poser.

To sum up this ridiculous thread.

no robin the thing that sums it up best is that brokers and developers shouldn't pose as general buyers posting about a building. they always read as transparent and wind up embarrassing themselves and their projects.

and by robin i mean sandra, annabelle, monica etc

I've walked by this building several times. Looked at the website. My view - front is not my taste, prices a bit too high.

Apparently the developers are under water and very difficult to deal with. Sounds like they are trying to squeeze every penny until the bitter end. Sad that they are not living in reality and have a false perception of what these units are worth.

I personally LOVE the building. My husband and I live in NYC now and we have a similar kitchen. We purchased an island like cart that helps with some of the space. When guests come over, we love the fact that we can push it to the side and have an extremely open feel. (Note - We do cook. I try to cook everyday actually. I think it's really about what you personally are looking for...For me, I'd rather have an open space then a full fledge kitchen.)

We also fell in love with this area in Park Slope. We are pretty set on new construction and have been looking at much of what Park Slope has to offer. I love that this building is not on fourth ave and that it is set back from the road. We actually just put in an offer over the weekend so hopefully we'll be there soon!

What the hell is up with this building? They have 10 units available and none listed. http://www.brownstoner.com/blog/2012/03/mysterious-broker-switch-at-580-carroll-street/ I e-mailed the broker from Corcoran and radio silence.

I went to take a look at some of the units in this building. I thought the neighborhood was nice and much better than where some of the other new construction buildings in "park slope" are located, like 15th st. Although it looks a little out of place around the other buildings, I still thought it was a nice building, at first.

The first negative thing I noticed was that the doornob for the door leading into the garden from the sidewalk was broken and rusted. For a building that was barely a year old, that seemed like a huge sign of poor workmanship or a lack of maintenance... or both. As far as the individual units, I viewed a few and didn't really care for the layout. Most people want open kitchens these days but they still want some sort of a separation between their kitchen and living areas, like an island or a counter. Having the appliances take up almost half the wall of the kitchen/living room in a 1000 sq ft apartment makes for an awkward layout. Plus, some of the units I looked at had a weird bathroom layout where the master bath had one sink while the second bath had two. And the units, although they were "finished" looked to have quality issues here and there - some of the tiling in the bathrooms were crooked or misaligned, fixtures had fitment issues, one of the interior doors didn't sit correctly when we tried to close it, etc.

And my final impression was when it came down to discussing the price with the broker. He informed me that the developer would not negotiate regarding the price. That made it pretty easy for me as to what decision I was going to make.

any updates from people who live in the building? So far the comments are typical of a new construction either in williamsburg or elsewhere in the city. The project might be overpriced but it is unclear if one pays for the uniquiness of the building. Owners? thoughts?

You could pay these same prices on Beekman or Sutton place. Yorkville also

Neighborhood is nice, although kind of close to Gowanus. The building looks good, although feels odd in PS. The deal breaker is the kitchen layout, NO counter space. Not enough cabinets as well, just some shelves. You don't have room to put in an island, otherwise you don't have enough space for dinning and living. It is a good looking building, but not practical or functional, especially for family with kids. Common charge is expensive, considering the amenities only including elevator and a small garden. Stairwell seems unfinished with exposed concrete walls. The stairwell makes you feel like in a dungeon. Rooftop seems have bad finish too, the materials seems cheap and melting under the autumn sun.