The Satori

gowanus canal smells....

I've toured there. It's in a horrendous area (from my perspective...which others are free to disagree with), but the layouts were really interesting. They had some layouts I had never seen before, which was nice because many of the new constructions in Brooklyn are such cookie-cutters.

Everything else, however, was just a typical Brooklyn new construction circa 2006-2008.

Is this the place with the very steep stairs?

They are located in high risk flood zone...

the smell is exargerated. Satori is one of the best i've seen. unique & fresh. the stair cases are steep but i was told you could have a spiral staircase as an option.

smell is exaggerated... but the area is not. its completely industrial. And worst of all, it sits on an EPA Superfund site. So, if youre buying, dont plan on having children.

Also, they delisted something like 20 apartments. possibly turning rental...

I've been there 11-12 times now (Satori or visiting friend in the area) and yet to smell anything, near or even on the canal. Also, not sure about any delisting - they have accepted offers on 10 units, about half of which have signed so far, since New Year's. That accounts for most of what this site shows as "no longer available." Some others were taken off developer's group website perhaps to make it look as though demand was higher, not because they were being offered for rent. The area is as much residential as industrial. It sits on a quiet industrial street (may not be everyone's cup of tea but it also means nights and weekends are dead quiet - which is important to me) and beyond that to the east is the Gowanus industrial area. Not exactly pretty, but the building has views in all directions and it that area seems safe otherwise unoffensive. Immediately behind the buiding, to the west, just as close, are some of the nicest blocks in Carroll Gardens (and by extension all of Brooklyn) and it's only two blocks (the long kind) from Smith, 3 from Court.

Also, to call it an EPA superfund site is, as far as I can tell, completely incorrect and irresponsible. Here is a list of EPA superfund sites; there is only 1 in Kings County - the Newtown Creek, which is far from and has nothing to do with the Gowanus Canal. http://www.epa.gov/region02/cleanup/sites/nytoc_county.html

If anyone has contrary information, you would be doing a service to readers here by presenting some info.

Working on getting the building approved. Sales velocity there has been great so I dont think it will have problems. I like the exterior, certainly different. Area depends on your taste. Some people will like and some wont. sunny_hong@countrywide.com

Gowanus is being added to superfund list (good thing). Check the NYTimes.

First off, its a proposed superfund site with several hazardous material sites within blocks. second, a superfund site is NEVER good. it means A, the area is polluted and needs cleanup, and B, that if its added while youre in the area, there will be years of cleanup and contruction.

the building is literally on the border between gowanus and carroll gardens. it may be some peoples only chance at being in/ near CG, so for them its a viable opportunity. but be forewarned about any pollution problems. its like people who buy near an airport and then complain about the planes...

http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/04/15/superfund-status-for-gowanus-canal-is-opposed/

Street easy site is great....I realize that some people have ulterior motives in sales or may give biased information / opinions... but dang, helping people with research and info on potential homes is great.

I used to rent on presidents street for a year or so at "The Mill" wish I bought it back then... Top unit towards Smith, (so almost a block further away then the Satori) never smelled the canal even in the summer, but the school is right there with the playground... Kids were great but they were loud. I visited the Satori last Saturday, those steps are steep. Have one cocktail in me and I predicted me falling down hard! The wood floors seemed a bit cheap and the prices to high for what I believe they are worth. On the edge of an Industrial area. If the prices came down a lot I'd consider it more seriously for myself.

It seems crazy that they still haven't cut the price of the studios a little more than they did, 299K still seems like a lot.

Anyone on here buy a place and did there walk through?

I've walked by it a few times (I live in Cobble Hill), and I can also say that the smell of the canal is exaggerated. That said, I think the location flat-out sucks. I'd expect a huge discount to live around there.

This place is funny... It wraps around the house that I used to live on the first floor of... I didn't last there a year. The rats that were wondering through that location were scary. They made it into my building and will make it into this one as well.

The smell is not that bad there. The wind goes towards Park Slope. I smelled it only 1 or 2 days during the summer. On the other side, it smelled 1/2 block between 3rd and 4th.

I walk by it a few times a month on the way to pay for the parking for my car and I've never noticed a smell. Also, it's actually not a bad area. Parts of Bond are industrial but all the side streets from Bond and west and residential so you will have plenty of neighbors and a short walk to the subway.

As far as rats, condos and coops will do pest treatments quite often. Owner buildings are taken much better care of then rentals.

Looks like this building is almost all closed up. Only a handful of units left. I guess the fact that it was a much smaller building than the DoBro condos made it more attractive to buy.

Those "500 sq ft" (yeah, right) studios are still 299K? I think that's kinda crazy, and that's an incredibly liberal measurement (although I haven't been inside- I've seen enough floorplans and measured enough apts in my day to have a good idea).
I'm really surprised this place is almost sold out- kudos to the marketing dept (or sales people, or whomever).

The studios look better than the floor plans make them out. They're not huge but they're bigger than most of them. Plus they came with a fenced in back yard. That may give them a slight edge. There's a buyer for everything. The ask price is 299 but we'll find out soon enough what they actually payed.

I've lived a few blocks from this place for seven years. Some notes: There is no real smell to the Gowanus since the Flushing Tunnel was reopened, although the tunnel is scheduled to undergo a 2-year repair soon. The area is a true mix of industrial and residential, with the occasional eclectic corner café thrown in (i.e., the fabulous Black Mountain, a block from this building). If you were to buy, you'd have to have an eye for the future...Right now you'd be in a quiet, sometimes sketchy area, a few blocks from Smith St and the Carroll St F train. Relatively safe, but a little foreboding in the late hours. But in the next few years (5-10 I'd say), the spillover from surrounding areas is going to further gentrify this area—you can already see it now with 3rd and 4th Aves. Please ignore any rhetoric about "raising your kids at a Super Fund site". If the designation goes through (and it's still being debated), it's to dredge the bottom of the canal and clean up some vacant lots (i.e., the Whole Foods site). Yes, the canal is a half-block away, but there are already tens of thousands of families in this area and have been for years. It's not like the dredging is going to poison your family. And if it keeps out Toll Brothers and their crap designs, all the better. Last notes: I watched this place go up. Some things about the construction seemed solid, some seemed hasty. Look closely at what you're buying, especially the materials, as this place went up in the height of the boom. I wouldn't be surprised if some of the finish work is less than stellar. That said, a bet on this building is a bet on the neighborhood, and with Union being the main artery between two highly-desired areas (Park Slope and Carroll Gardens), the neighborhood is going to go up sooner than later.

Looks like it's all sold out now.

It is, and fully-occupied, with the exception of maybe one unit.