What does everyone think of the Oculus on West 15th? Anyone seen it>?

i thought it was kind of bland. nothing seems special enough about it to justify the pricing. not many amenities. also directly across the street they are tearing down that union building soon and building a 20 story hotel as per curbed. that will take away some of that block's charm. the developer has another building on 21st called the indigo that i liked better.

although to be honest i think both of the new alchemy buildings i saw seemed a little cheaply made

for that block, that fsbo listed here a few days ago is a much better value
www.twobedtwobathunionsquare.com

I live just a few buildings over. This block is already a disaster and is becoming even more so with the hotel across the street. Already it is extremely noisy, and one of the most busy streets for garbage trucks making noise at all hours because of the heavy density on 14th, 15th, 16th of co-op and condo buildings. Also, the back entrance to the church is across the street and this is a homeless shelter, food pantry, and drug rehab. I've noticed a high level of recent sales in the few loft buildings on the block - those owners know what is coming soon - even more chaos.
As for the Oculus itself, Alchemy is solid, reliable, basically making condos with luxury rental finishes or outer borough finishes - which basically means a couple steps down from better condo developments. And it is correct there really aren't amenities in this building although other than the block itself, you are in a good location.
This building will be heavy on resales within 18 months.

Interesting opinion on the block.
Village, the problem with your listing vs checkm88 is that you are in a 50s/60s coop, it is a coop, it has low ceilings, older tenants, poorer windows, even though renovated it is a bit dreary.

Wow. A couple things to note based on the most recent comments.

Oculus finishes are VERY good. Beautiful floors, great kitchens, top of the line bathrooms (steam showers, heated floors). The price, as noted by Jason, is below market (or at least WAS below market before the world fell apart). The amenities include full-service building, first-class kitchen and bathrooms, roof deck. Boutique buildings like this generally do not have much more than this - no gym, no children's playroom. But those are the types of amenities that drive common costs up. Common costs at the Oculus are really inexpensive for comparable product.

Alchemy may be a lot of things, but they are not "Cheaply" made. This is first-class construction. Really, some of the best I have seen.

The block is very plesent, very residential. A disaster? No WAY! It is one of the best mid-city blocks north of the Village. And the hotel is not getting built (that's so 2008!), so there is no issue there. Block has tons of trees and, thankfully, NO disagreeable retail. No bars, no clubs, no food establishments. So no nightlife traffic. Lots and lots of dogs and babies.

The block gets very VERY light traffic compared to other blocks because Union Square cuts off the cross-town traffic. Cross-town traffic goes across 17th or 14th - 15th is VERY insulated. One of the more quiet blocks because of this fact. Checkm88 is simply incorrect. Quite frankly, the church is one of the more architectually significant buildings in the neighborhood and is very plesant to have across the street. and the food kitchen is once a week for 90 minutes - not exactly a deal killer in anyway whatsoever. There is no drug rehab at the church.

I would say that Alchmeny makes luxury condo finishes that rival most any developer in the City. They THINK about what they are doing - light fixtures in every room, expensive doors, hardware, windows, DIFFERENT finishes (floors, fixtures) in each bathroom - a real plus!

The block is truly lovely, I can't say enought about it.

A friend of mine bought here and his apt flooded from the neighbors above just this week.

Joba are you the broker for the building? The yellow bathroom floors are hideous even if they do heat up.

Joba the [sees asking prices] *WHAT*?!?

The Indigo has yellow bathroom floor, which I agree was not the best choice.

The Oculus used different marble that is tan, not yellow, and is quite tasteful and elegant.

I didn't love the tan. But you are probably right about the yellow being the one that is the real slight.

Wow, I could not more strongly disagree with Joba's assessment on this block. I live on this block, and not for much longer.

One thing for sure I've learned is to look where co-ops and businesses put their garbage and the volume of garbage and recycling gives you and indication of how much garbage truck noise will occur nightly between 3 and 6am.

Additionally, I will never again in my life move to a block with so many parking garages. Parking garages = cars turning in and out = honking all the damn time.

Lastly, better to be on the block with the front of the church - that's quiet. The back of the church = homeless people, soup kitchen entrance, food pantry, drug rehab entrance.

The thing FaCup fails to realize is that this is an almost entirely RESIDENTIAL block - residential produces substantially less garbage than retail. I'm guess he will be disappointed when he moves because, having lived in NYC my entire adult life, this block has no worse than average amounts of trash than any other residential block in the City and SUBSTANTIALLY less garbage than the other Flatrion blocks with bars and restaurants (of which this block has none) with 2x the amount of garbage bags.

It seems odd to quesiton the parking garages since 1/2 of them aren't even open at night or on weekend, it doesn't seem like much of an inconvenience. It sure is a nice thing if you have a car to park a building or two away from your apartment.

Lastly, the back of the chuch is VERY pleasing and quiet. The ONLY entrance to the Church on 15th Street is, as I've mentioned, for a soup kitchen for 90 minutes once a week. There is NO drug rehab in the Church (and even if there was, so what?), the street is void of homeless people. The entrance to the Church is on 16th Street.

You can live on a lot of blocks in NYC, but this one is very very special.

I must say Joba you make a good argument

Oh how do you know the hotel isn't happening. Is that confirmed? Or just an assumption?

It is mostly residential, hold for the veterinary clinic by 5th avenue, the soup kitchen/homeless shelter/drug rehab toward 6th avenue hosted in the church, a couple of nice boutique stores including a great toy store, 2 cleaners, 4 or 5 or so garages, the nail salon mid-block, the Tibet House (protests only twice a year) a couple of doctor's offices, and the worker's union hall (next to the church).

Listen, I'm happy for you Joba that you like the block, and the fact that there is demand for living here means it is easy for me to leave which I can't do soon enough. I've lived in NYC for quite some time, and the noise here was worse that a place in midtown east I lived in which had UN traffic as well as those damn double decker tourist buses.

It is nicely centrally located. There is access to anything and everything, even more so than downtown, or the UWS or UES as far as my historical experience brings me.

Oculus, I watched it go up, everything from when it was a lot to the big inflatable rat when they installed the windows. I have never been in and have no opinion about the development itself.

interesting comments. I think I disagree with all of them.

I lived on 15th b/w 5th and 6th for 4 years until about a year and a half and on 15th bw 6th and 7th since. 15th is fine. Its certainly not "truly lovely" but its not nearly the disaster some other (on this thread and in other threads) people make it out to be. Its fine.

Regarding the Oculus, again I'm somewhere in between. We passed on it 2 years ago because we thought the finishes looked kind of cheap in the model. I've been in the finished apts, the finishes are ok. I think they did a nice job overall. the floors look good and generally the apts look nice. But these are not high end finishes, not even close. "Great kitchen"? No, its ok, like a nice (and new) rental building, not nearly at the level of a top line new condo or the level below the top line. "top of the line bathrooms"? No not close, again about the same as the kitchen. Again, I think they did a nice job, I'm no expert but construction looked pretty good to me.

Maybe the biggest issue I have with Joba's comments is about the amenities and especially the costs. This building is not that small, it wouldn't be unreasonable to have a small gym. But actually you left out an important amenity, a full time live in super. Also they have some enormous storage bins, they're basically rooms. I think you have to buy them though, not nearly enough for all the apts. But lets talk costs. "Common costs at the Oculus are really inexpensive for comparable product." Huh?? The common charges, especially considering the lack of amenities, are enormous. About a $1 per sq ft. Compare that to the building I'm about to move into, where its about $.6 per sq ft and that building has a roof deck, gym, children's playroom, wine cellar, storage bins and concierge service. Also btw, the real estate taxes, ignoring the abatement, are also enormous, over $1 per sq ft.

The pricing on the building was pretty good relative to the market 2 years ago, but this was because of the high costs and again because this just isn't a high end luxury building. Go take a walk through the lobby, ride the elevators, go in the ground floor deck (where you can see the backs of the crappy 14th st buildings peering down), and finally tour the apts. Decent, solid building, but you certainly don't get any sense of luxury or high end. Thats just not what this is.

to ccdevi: what's your building? it sounds great!

I'm moving into 15 E 26th St (otherwise known as 15 Madison Square North). Been a long wait but very excited.

oh congrats that looks like a really nice building

Really nice building

To FaCup, You are right about the retail - I meant that there is no undesirable retail (no bars, clubs, restaurants, bodegas, fast food shops, etc.). The dry cleaners and toy store are great and add, not detract, to the block without contributing noise, garbage as would crappy undesirable retail.

CC: Devi is in for some serious issues with 15 East 26th, as it has the reputation as one of the most problematic developments in terms of sponsor issues and owner complaints.

The finishes in the Oculus are absolutely top of the line. I've been in the finished apartments, and the kitchens and bathrooms are top quality. My only issue with the kitchen is that is could be a little larger, but blows away most "first class" condos in the City. Floors are fantastic and the bathrooms are truly luxury. They did a super job - and impressive for the cost. I can't say enough about the kitchens (and the appliances) being top of the line. By far. Construction is always an issue in new construction and this looks very good.

You are also right that I forgot about the live-in super. Very important amenity and one this building is lucky to have.

Common costs are less than a bukc a foot. And with the abatement, taxes are next to nothing for the short term future. Compare to 15 East 26th with no abatement and the aggregate common costs are nearly DOUBLE. And 15 East 26th is having budget issues - look for their already high common costs to skyrocket. Who needs a wine cellar when every apartment HAS a wine cooler built-in? And Oculus has a roof-deck. The gym and playroom are nice, but wait until those costs get spread to each unit owner - it will be a common cost killer.

It is impressive to have such a high-end building in such a desirable neighborhood.

15 East 26th, in addition to being NOWHERE near as desirable location, is a nice place, but WAY overpriced for what it is (or isn't). On a price per square foot basis, it is approx. $300/foot higher than Oculus and get get lesser kitchens and bathrooms, lesser location, and a playroom. You decide if the playroom is worth it.

Oh, and enough with the "homeless shelter and drug rehab" that doesn't exist. There is a soup kitchen on Sunday afternoons for 90 minutes, that's it, big deal.

but 15 E 26th is right on madison square park which is the neighborhood of the year according to curbed readers. its certainly nicer than union square park. and shake shack does totally rule. but this is off topic.

i agree that the soup kitchen is a non issue and people should let it go.

jasonkyle,

you think that the neighborhood around madison square park is nicer than the neighborhood around union square? pardon me, but that's ridiculous. last year the curbed neighborhood of the year was red hook, right? red hook is great, but this should tell you something about that reader poll. it's not exactly a scientific determination of neighborhood values.

madison square park is borders gramercy and flatiron to the south, and midtown to the north, is half a mile from penn station, and is surrounded east and west by gritty blocks. don't get me wrong: i love grit, i'm a new yorker. but this compares favoribly with union square, snug between the village, chelsea, flatiron, and gramercy? give me a break.

i don't have an opinion on the oculus, but joba, people would take you more seriously if you weren't so over-the-top. it's a fine block, but it isn't lovely. the parking garages are a negative, but not a huge negative. there does seem to be a lot of garbage on the block, who knows why. the homeless shelter is a non-issue. the oculus is a decent building but to wax poetically about the kitchens and bathrooms is just not believable.

as for everyone being so negative on this block, that's crazy. i'm sure no block is for everyone, but this is a perfectly nice block in one of the most desirable parts of the city. what kind of people are paranoid about a once-a-week 90 minute soup kitchen on their block? i mean, if you are that scared of homeless people move to a gated community outside of phoenix.

I'm curious how people dismiss the homeless shelter / drug clinic at the church. I'll be going out in about an hour and will walk by it again.

Unfortunately, because there is the church back side and the union hall which is empty on weekends, there's always excessive garbage on the north side of the street, and all the pet owners seem more likely to not clean up, which can be a minefield.

Some of this is abated recently, frankly because they are no longer building Oculus - when they were, with the construction on the south side of the street, all the equipment parked there, the sidewalk diversion, and the 3 or 4 port-a-potties always there on the block that really really stunk, more often it was pleasant to walk on the north side of the street, although sometimes me and my wife had to just walk down the middle of the street because neither side was any good - so from that angle, Oculus, now complete, is a positive.

facup,

it is not, as i understand it, a homeless shelter/drug clinic. it is a ONCE A WEEK FOOD PANTRY. I mean, how about a little human decency here, we are talking about homeless people getting food, not criminals waiting to knife you in the back. homeless people are....PEOPLE, they are not some sort of expendable impediment to high end real estate appreciation. is it really too much to ask you to tolerate homeless people getting food on your block once a week?

I live on 16th St, at the opposite end from the church, and I have never had a problem with the food pantry's Sunday program. The people line up, stay orderly and quiet and they even have this gigantic dude who works at the church stand outside to keep order (he used to stunt double for Steven Segal). In 3.5 years of living here, I've never noticed or had a problem with them. I also am not that familiar with the minefield of dog poop on 15th street. I walk my dog around the block daily and have never noticed any more dog crap on the street than is normal. I do however agree that there is usually a bunch of garbage littered around the old union building.

Well, whatever you want to call it. I do take notice that you live south of 14th Street, so I'm not sure you have the same credibility to tell me what it is when my family lives on this block. Also, this has nothing to do with decency. It is nice that you "tolerate" the homeless, but do you actually do anything personally for them, or just lecture other people when you live on a nice greenwich village block?

I'll quote you: well, i'll only live below 14th, north of houston, west of broadway, and east of hudson. http://www.streeteasy.com/nyc/talk/discussion/7538-everyone-bitching-about-prices-you-are-too-chelsea-and-tribeca-centric

16th Street is much nicer than 15th Street.

to happy renter: no i think the actual park in nicer.

the "curbed neighborhood of the year" mention was separate and kind of tongue in cheek since that is a dubious honor at best. last year was LIC i think...

Joba. I'm not going to get into comparing the 2 developments, for one, its not the topic of the thread, 2, I'm admittedly biased (and you clearly are too, do you work for Alchemy?), and 3, frankly its not even close, so why bother.

I'll just deal with your statements about the Oculus.

"The finishes in the Oculus are absolutely top of the line. I've been in the finished apartments, and the kitchens and bathrooms are top quality. My only issue with the kitchen is that is could be a little larger, but blows away most "first class" condos in the City. Floors are fantastic and the bathrooms are truly luxury. "

I'm sorry sir but you simply don't know luxury or top of the line. If your taste is skewed so you prefer the low end fine, but price the appliances and fixtures, you can't argue that. The finishes are completely vanilla, not terrible, but nowhere near top of the line.

"Common costs are less than a bukc a foot. And with the abatement, taxes are next to nothing for the short term future."

According to the website, the apts without outdoor space seem to have common costs of about 97 cents per sq foot, the apts with outdoor space are more expensive.

"Compare to 15 East 26th with no abatement and the aggregate common costs are nearly DOUBLE."

Ok, I will address this comparison. Thats just a lie and again I ask do you work for Alchemy?

Using the numbers from the Oculus' website and what I know to be the actual numbers at 15E26th, its actually more like 15-25% more, and that with the tax abatement, when that goes away, the Oculus is significantly more.

"And 15 East 26th is having budget issues - look for their already high common costs to skyrocket."

You just made that up. Serious credibility issues.

Loving how stating facts about 15 East 26th Street (which has been selling apartments and is still not sold out for four years) somehow damages my creditbility.

Happyrenter is clearly the brightest comment on this thread - certainly better than mine.

For whatever it is worth, I strongly prefer Oculus finishes to 15 East 26th - higher quality brands, more expensive appliances, better design (which is my opinion). What is SHOCKING is that Oculus was selling out at roughly $1,200/foot and 15E26th is making a go at $1,500-$1,800 a foot, with CLEARLY challenged floorplans and sub-par finishes for the dollar. Which is not to say they are not nice apartments (financial problems of 15East26th notwithstanding), but for 40% higher costs and SIGNIFICANTLY higher common cost/taxes (and the common costs are reportedly going to almost double as sponsor underestimated charges in offering plan), its Owners are getting fleeced.

A 2000 3 bedroom at 15East26th is $3.6 million (without MSP exposure!)! With $2,700 in common charges! A 1850 square foot 3 bedroom at Oculus is $2.1 with $1,900 in common charges AND taxes. Given the Oculus has superior finishes AND location, this is a shocking differential.

The second paragraph of Happyrenters long post is dead on - what it doesn't mention is unfortunately the blocks just to the West of Madison Square Park have become to the worst nightlife area in the City (surpassing West Chelsea). Quality of life doesn't cut it when clubgoers are walking by your building Wednesday-Sunday night (Sunday night!) on 21st Street, 22nd Street, 24th Street, 25th Street, 26th Street and 27th Street. It gets ugly.

Is this true?:
The second paragraph of Happyrenters long post is dead on - what it doesn't mention is unfortunately the blocks just to the West of Madison Square Park have become to the worst nightlife area in the City (surpassing West Chelsea). Quality of life doesn't cut it when clubgoers are walking by your building Wednesday-Sunday night (Sunday night!) on 21st Street, 22nd Street, 24th Street, 25th Street, 26th Street and 27th Street. It gets ugly.

a debate between the merits of two different developments in totally different sorts of buildings in different neighborhoods at different price points is absurd.

as for facup, several things:
1. i don't 'call it' a once a week food pantry. it is a once a week food pantry. that's what it is, so that's what it should be called.
2. i live on a beautiful street in the village and i prefer to live on a beautiful street in the village. I now live across the street from an NYU dorm, and that provides a lot more noise and nuisance than the AA/12 step/drug rehab spot right across the street from a previous apartment i lived in--which was also on a prime greenwich village street. just so you know, we do have homeless services and rehab in the village.
3. i don't expect you to go out and volunteer to help the homeless. i merely think it shouldn't be too much to ask that you allow them to be fed once a week on your block. but since you asked, i used to volunteer the overnight shift at a homeless shelter, and i currently teach in a prison and volunteer in a juvenile detention facility. perhaps if you interacted with some people who are less fortunate than yourself you might have a different attitude toward the place they go to eat once a week.

As happyrenter said, debating this is silly, I don't know why joba turned this into a comparison thread.

That said I do feel the need to correct your obvious mistakes (lies?).

"A 2000 3 bedroom at 15East26th is $3.6 million (without MSP exposure!)! With $2,700 in common charges!"

Well thats 2035 sq ft to be exact and the $2700 is common charges AND taxes, a not unreasonable $1.32 per sq ft.

"A 1850 square foot 3 bedroom at Oculus is $2.1 with $1,900 in common charges AND taxes."

According to the website, that apt doesn't exist. I can only presume you were referring to the D line which is 1853 sq ft when including the 84 sq ft balcony and the cc's and taxes on the apartment are $2074 with the abatement, and $3680 without the abatement.

So as I said in my last post, including the outdoor space and the tax abatement, the monthly costs are 15-20% more at 15E26th on per sq ft basis. You said they were almost double. Take out the abatement and give half credit for the outdoor space, and the Oculus is a very expensive 2.03 a sq ft or about 50% more expensive. And again thats with a very short list of amenities.

That's why your credibility has been ruined. You were either mistaken re a bunch of info or told outright lies. Same deal for the budget comment, the financially challenged comment. You're just making things up.

I won't comment on the rest of your post, its subjective and imo absurd. Again, though I want to restate what I said in my initial post, the Oculus seems to be a nice, solid building. I have nothing against it.

A few needed corrections to ccdevi's post, and then we should all move on, as this comparison that ccdevi started is really silly:

"Well thats 2035 sq ft to be exact and the $2700 is common charges AND taxes, a not unreasonable $1.32 per sq ft." You are going off of the offering plan, which is going to be drastically increased when the union staff and insurance/electric under-estimates are factored in - so let's call it a 30% increase in common costs and we are at $1.70 a foot! Huge numbers.

The Oculus common charges are LESS than the offering plan (and the website) - the 3 bedroom apartment is 1853 square feet and aggregate common costs/taxes are less than a buck a foot. 15 East 26 common charges are 70% higher for only 150 feet more space! Too much!

Cc should get his facts straight before questioning creditbility - particularly when it is a biased reviewer. Absurdity has its limits.

Everything about this building screams ;eh;
Location ;eh;
Construction ;eh;
Finishes ;eh;
Amenities ;eh;
Prices ;eh;
Common charges ;eh;

I know I should just ignore, but I'm weak tonight.

Joba, whats up with you man, why so hyped up about this? I think I said the most positive things about the Oculus in the thread other than you.

"this comparison that ccdevi started is really silly"

I started? You mean my offhand comment about the amenities to give context, without even naming the other building? Your response post acted like the entire point of my post was to compare the two buildings, ridiculous.

"You are going off of the offering plan, which is going to be drastically increased when the union staff and insurance/electric under-estimates are factored in - so let's call it a 30% increase in common costs and we are at $1.70 a foot! Huge numbers."

Boy where do it start. I'm not going off the offering plan. I'm going off whats actually being paid by people who are living in the building right now. Regarding the increase, who knows maybe there will be one, actually I suspect there will be because the owners seems to want additional services. But you talk as if you're on the board. I suspect you're not, so why are you talking like you're an insider and actually know whats going to happen. Your posts have been littered with inaccuracies. From the misrepresentations in the numbers, to the false comments about the buildings financial situation, your overstatement of the owner complaints, your silly comments about the floorplans and finishes (which are excellent and first class, respectively, the first of course is my opinion, the second is just fact, check it out for yourself), to the comment about sales going on for 4 years (more like 2.5, and of course you made it seem like the Oculus was sold out and 15E26th was empty, when in fact they've sold almost exactly the same % of apts, and of course you're right, 15 E 26th has gotten much higher prices).

But lets say you're right, lets say there is a 30% increase in common costs. Thats a $375 increase in the 3 BR you mentioned. Total common charges would be $1,625 about 80 cents a sq ft, cc's and taxes would be about 3075, or about $1.51 per sq ft. So yes your math is wrong, but please explain your initial comments that it was 2700 in just common charges. Oh and of course the 1.51 still compares very favorably to the Oculus without the abatement.

You really need to make this harder.

"The Oculus common charges are LESS than the offering plan (and the website) "

Well, I cannot definitely confirm or deny whether the cc's are lower than those on the website, although of course the idea that the developer would not put their best foot forward is somewhat laughable. Of course I find it interesting that you want us to believe that the cc's are lower than those advertised at the Oculus but at 15 E26th St, we should ignore whats actually being paid and advertised and take your word for what the charges are going to be.

ccDevi: Your numbers are so off I don't know where to begin. Yes, I do. Read my posts, where the numbers are correct. See, there you go? Wasn't that easy?

If you want to overpay for a struggling condominium, please feel free. Seriously, good luck with it - I hope you make millions and are very happy at 15East26th.

thats all you have? seriously? my numbers are verifiable on the respective websites, my math is verifiable for anyone who went to high school, and all you have is "your numbers are off"? What a waste of my time. Good luck at the Oculus, as I said its a nice building, enjoy it.

Oculus, kind of an average development, right?

ccdevi, you make conclusive statements about how your apartment is "better" than another development, and then as proof, you point to YOUR OWN CONCLUSIVE statement. Silly, and not very bright. All you need to do to confirm my numbers is look at the respective offering plans and have just a tad of insight into the reputation of 15East26th, together with an understanding of basic math applied to the building's budget. I am glad you went to high school - who said a secondary education was necessary for you to be successful. Well done.

Please enjoy your new home. Most people have lost a little bit of equity in their new construction condos, so if you can stomach just losing a little bit more at 15East26th for it being priced above-market, then you will be in good shape (so long as you don't mind a big increase in your common costs - a risk with every new development).

Hey, an apartment is worth what someone is willing to pay for it. You obviously thought it was a good "deal" at $1,750 a foot, I think you way over-paid, but that's just because I think the finishes are sub-par. Maybe you will be right and I will be wrong. As I said, I hope you make millions - if YOU sell THAT apartment and make money, it will mean that we ALL made money. No joking, though, I sure you will be happy but 15East26th apartments are about 40% overpriced. If the developer is still selling at these prices I'll eat my stockings.

joba what is your relationship to the oculus?

wow you are so silly.

"you make conclusive statements about how your apartment is "better" than another development, and then as proof, you point to YOUR OWN CONCLUSIVE statement"

please cite where I did that. you quote the word "better" and yet I never used such a word, search the thread. in fact my original post had nothing to do with the Oculus being better or worse then any other building, you are the one who turned it into a comparison thread. More to the point, you simply will not address the numbers I've cited, or explain your earlier false claims such as that the 3 br had cc's of 2700. I'm sure you won't because you know that anyone who cares, which is probably no one admittedly, can simply pull up the SE pages for these 2 buildings and confirm the numbers I've cited. Of course your claim is that you're right because you know the real numbers, never mind they cannot be verified. And as an aside I've never said anything about purchase price, you are the one who continues to harp on that every post, but I can assure you that I didn't pay anywhere near 1750 a sq ft.

please answer jasonkyles question, although I can't imagine its not simply that you own at or have other financial interest in the Oculus.

What did you pay? For which apartment? When did you sign your 15East26th contract?

More conclusory statements, no facts. I don't know why you insist on comparing these two projects, they are totally different animals, one being a mid-block high-rise, the other being a fringe neighborhood conversion of a commerical building. Will you please post back on this thread when your common costs gets JACKED by 30-40% (just to give me a little bit of credibility by proving me right)? I would appreciate it - thanks.

Joba you do realize you were the one who started the comparison right? ccdevi only mentioned 15 East 26th when asked what building they were moving into. In fact, the first time they responded to your comparison they said:

"Joba. I'm not going to get into comparing the 2 developments, for one, its not the topic of the thread, 2, I'm admittedly biased (and you clearly are too, do you work for Alchemy?), and 3, frankly its not even close, so why bother."

I could honestly care less I just find it odd when people make claims that can be disproved by rereading the very thread they make the claims in.

Respecfully, that is totally incorrect. ccDevi wrote, "Compare that to the building I'm about to move into..." and, as such, lit the flame. I'm all for a intelligent discussion, but not by making unsupportable claims that do not have any reasonable justification to support it.

Thank you Sizzlack. Your last sentence says it all. "lit the flame" LOL. I ran across a real loony toon here. My bad for continuing to respond, but I'm done now.

CCdevi, I just looked at all of your posts on the 15East26th thread. It seems you know ALL ABOUT the problems the building is having, the undercapitalized budget based upon 2005 insurance/salaries/electricity, and the total lack of progress of construction. You said you signed your contract in January 2007 and hoped to move in this past summer? And people who have moved in are aghast as the quality of construction at 15East26th, as well as the unsafe conditions/lack of security and unresponsiveness of the developer. Now I understand your motivation/bias. I respect that you want to speak highly of your own building, but don't moan on your own thread and be falsely complimentary on this one. By the way, if you didn't know, because your sponsor is so late in delivering your apartment, you have a statutory rescission right because the operating budget in the offering plan is more than 18 months old. You can use that to renegotiate your now-inflated/above-market purchase price.

joba fess up. are you the broker? the developer? an owner?

jasonkyle, you seem to be pretty good at accusing people of being a broker. What is your obsession?

well in this case it was kind of obvious no? just as it is in yours

I actually think that jasonkyle, on the whole, is an objective poster. He says what he thinks on both sides of an issue. If you go back and read his posts, he is not one of the overly dramatic and one-sided commenters.

hey thanks joba. that was really nice of you.

now get the oculus to lower the prices on the 3 bedrooms and i will come back :)

Hi....I live in the Oculus. The soup kitchen is a non-issue and I'm happy to see people getting fed there on a weekly basis, especially during these tough times. I find the block to be quiet and very pleasant in the evenings. I do not think the parking garages are any issue whatsoever nor do I think the block is noisy during the night. I do wish there were more amenities in the building but the kitchens and bathrooms are finished very nicely (steam showers and heated master bathroom floors are a nice touch). I purchased one of the storage units in the basement and it has proven to be invaluable. Also, what is the status of the hotel? I would imagine it's not getting built due to the current economic conditions, but if it did, it would probably be a nice asset to the block.....cool, hip hotel w/ bar/lounge, restaurant wouldn't be a bad thing....especially since it isn't right across the street.

The soup kitchen goes well with the big rat at Oculus http://curbed.com/archives/2007/12/12/curbedwire_something_big_at_98th_lex_rat_at_the_oculus.php

Why would a "cool, hop hotel w/ bar/lounge, restraurant" ever be a good thing in your living neighborhood? In case you didn't want to go home to your great apartment at the Oculus and the rats you could hang out there?

Did Apitbull really post a curbed blog about a union rat that was outside the building 14 months ago? You should be glad this is built non-union - non-union is cheaper, better quality and takes half the time to be built. A union will send 14 guys to spend 3 weeks doing what 5 non-union guys can do in 6 days at half the cost.

If it were a high-end or hip hotel it would include a restaurant and bar/lounge situation which would be nice places for residents in the neighborhood to go to. Great examples of hotels that are an asset to their neighborhoods are Mercer Hotel, Plaza Athenee, Carlyle. If it's an economy class hotel then it would be a negative. Regardless, I don't think anything is getting built at this time.

I think the trashing of this block is ridiculous. I've lived here for 15+ years and it is a perfectly pleasant block, even more so now that the Union Hall is closed. The street is quiet and admittedly my apartment does not face the street but I hear NO street noise at night at all, quiet as can be. The food pantry is a non-issue, an hour or so on a Sunday morning. We are near all transportation, plenty of retail but not right on the block - granted it's not as pretty as say 10th St, but I love it here. And if I had any money, I'd buy at the Oculus in a minute.

The hotel is not getting built. It has officially fallen through (big surprise) so let's not even entertain that discussion anymore...

ha. no one was entertaining that discussion. this thread was dead until you resurrected it.

APoodle.how are you finding living at the Oculus?As far as Joba numbers how are you finding the common charges?I have not seen the roof deck,how are the views?I have been looking at someone who is flipping their unit and would like to know more about the building,anything would be helpful.Thanks

Hi Michele1045.....everything is fine at The Oculus. When I'm in my apartment I hear absolutely no noise from other apartments which is really nice. The staff has been terrific. They are very polite and extremely helpful. The noise during the night is minimal and I'm at the front of the building. I lived between 6th & 7th on 15th for over 5 years and I prefer this block much more. I find it quieter. The roof deck is not outfitted with furniture yet but I assume it will be ready by Summer. There's a great view of the Empire State Building. The lobby is coming along, however, I don't think it's scheduled to be done until May. I would highly recommend this building. Hope this info helps. A Poodle

Thanks APoodle,just thought the cc were high.

For info on the 15th Street block check up above.

Floorplans are a bit oversized or if they are accurate, poorly laid out because they feel much smaller than they are. For example, 1000 sq ft feels like 800 sq ft.
It is fairly new and there is substancial action on the building @ $900 per advetised sq ft.
I think what scared me off the most was the wear and tear on the apartments. For a relatively new building, the apartments did not hold up to foot traffic and led me to feel corners were cut or finishes were not best quality to wear so fast.
Let's just say, these apartments will need renovations at a much faster rate than average in my humble opinion.

I am currently renting a unit at the Oculus, and honestly, I am eager to leave. Renters are explicitly prohibited from scheduling the common spaces, which I believe is ridiculous. The elevators smell strongly of marijuana, nearly at all times of the day and night. Thankfully, the doormen and maintenance crew are incredibly friendly, helpful and are genuinely good people. This has made life here much more pleasant, despite the fact that renters are treated like second class citizens by the condo board (which is saturated with petty politics). But I suppose, that there are few places in NYC that don't have "a ruling class" system, or overly privileged college students with drug habits.

As for the neighborhood, the construction outside can be a nuisance, but if construction bothers you, don't live in NYC. Sixth Avenue is kind of seedy at times, but the FV train is so close, shopping on 5th Avenue or at Union Square is wonderful. The location of this building is quite convenient and pleasant. Street parking is nearly always available. The only thing I could possibly complain about, and this is after some thought, would be the perpetual "Leviticus"-related propaganda that some religious fanatic keeps posting at the intersection of 15th/5th --- I don't know what it's about, but a cat litter box inscribed with bible passages is a little much for me, even in NYC.

Oh, last thing, many units do not have heated bathroom floors like advertised, because, as I was told, the pipe construction was not done properly. My neighbor down the hall had theirs replaced (and consequently had to have the whole floor torn up) and all of their furniture and possessions were caked with dust. Unless you own, it's not worth all the trouble. But I will tell you, I wish I had heated floors with this winter weather!

The reason renters can't rent public spaces is due to insurance issues. If there's an accident, the building's insurance only covers owners, not renters. When a renter has a party and tosses a cig off the roof, lighting someone's terrace on fire, that's a real issue with insurance.