Question about buying in the neighborhood

sloper

Hey everyone, so I've lived in the neighborhood for some time now - first in the slope and now in p heights and am thinking of taking the big leap and buying a place. I'm curious, though, what everyone's thoughts are on Atlantic Yards. Do you think it could potentially hurt or help the value of real estate. I'm worried if I buy, once the stadium, etc is up, the area will become annoyingly congested and it may lose that neighborhood appeal. Would love others' thought on whether you think it's a good idea or bad idea to buy in terms of long term investment...

bkchickie

It's really hard to say, but I tend to think that the stadium will be a negative if you're living across from it, if only because the redesigned stadium is going to look like hell. I don't expect there to be much effect the further south you get from it. Wishful thinking? Maybe.

whynot_31

I expect the arena to have many effects on the neighborhood. Some will like the changes. Some will hate the changes.

As time goes on, buyers and renters of both varieties will consider living in the hood. I expect those who like the changes to be willing to pay more to live in the hood.

As someone who is considering buying in the hood, I hope -for your sake- that those who like the changes have more money than those who don't.

I think an expanded array of dining and drinking options, and some more congestion are both reasonable expectations

jgregorie

Of course I am a little biased but I seriously think P heights is arguably the hottest neighborhood in brooklyn right now. If you were to buy a reasonably priced apartment in the area and hold onto it for a few years I'm pretty sure you would do well for your self. Stadium or no stadium. I think the best area from an investment standpoint would be Procro. So say something a block or 2 east of washington ave. You can get a little more bang for your buck and you would'nt even know the stadium existed.

ntfool

... "Procro"? Ugh.

I'm going to be ill.

jgregorie

Its easier than saying " the prospect heights crown heights border "

eastbloc

I think the best area from an investment standpoint would be Procro. So say something a block or 2 east of washington ave. You can get a little more bang for your buck and you would'nt even know the stadium existed.

Completely agree.

ntfool

jgregorie said:

Its easier than saying " the prospect heights crown heights border "

Sure, except "a block or two east of Washington" would in fact be... Crown Heights. Or Crown Heights West, if you prefer.

How large can a border area be? Isn't it usually just the length of one street/avenue?

xlizellx

Although I do find myself saying BoCoCa because I can't remember which neighborhood I'm in sometimes when I'm wandering around.

http://gothamist.com/2011/03/30/tourists_havent_heard_of_bococa_bec.php

ProCro

http://gothamist.com/2011/02/18/you_dont_live_in_crown_heights_you.php

bkchickie

If you want my opinion, I'm not a fan of this ProCo abbreviation that the realtors cooked up. I feel like it's a way to diminish the huge strides Crown Heights has made and expand Prospect Heights to just make everything more expensive.

ntfool

Bingo!

whynot_31

The following comment is sarcastic:

It don't like the expansion of Prospect Heights because I feel it will lower my property values by allowing "you people between Washington and Bedford" to tarnish its brand.

(sarcasm people, you can do it!)

novanglus

The whole ProCro thing is lame but a by-product of a couple of things:

1) The area between Washington and Franklin really doesn't feel 100% like either neighborhood.

2) There's (improving) Crown Heights and then there's (still blighted and only getting worse) Crown Heights. Lots of people who supposedly live in Crown Heights won't set foot east of Franklin. People who live on Classon and St. Johns are certainly more connected with the Prospect Heights area than they are with the area around Bedford or Nostrand, let alone Troy or Utica.

ntfool

Some time ago, I believe it was whynot who propositioned a clear break in Crown Heights at either Kingston or Albany (I'd go with Albany myself, as the Albany Projects feels like a good point of deliniation). As such, the area from Washington to Kingston is "Western Crown Heights", and east of Albany is "Eastern Crown Heights".

As far as people who won't set foot east of Franklin, they are missing out. I'm not really in love with Rogers or Nostrand, but there are beautiful blocks around New York & Brooklyn Aves and particularly around Brower Park.

novanglus

There are nice areas there, but if people have to walk the same distance as they would to Vanderbilt or Flatbush, well . . .

ntfool

Um, not sure what walking time to Vanderbilt or Flatbush has to do with living in CH... I've lived in CH West for many years and only in extremely rare occasions do I find myself on Vanderbilt, for instance. If you want to live within walking distance of either of those commercial strips, then PH is probably the place for you.

whynot_31

ntfool said:

Some time ago, I believe it was whynot who propositioned a clear break in Crown Heights at either Kingston or Albany (I'd go with Albany myself, as the Albany Projects feels like a good point of deliniation). As such, the area from Washington to Kingston is "Western Crown Heights", and east of Albany is "Eastern Crown Heights".

As far as people who won't set foot east of Franklin, they are missing out. I'm not really in love with Rogers or Nostrand, but there are beautiful blocks around New York & Brooklyn Aves and particularly around Brower Park.

Yup, that was me.

However, I am not interested in distancing one part of CH from the other on the basis you may expect.

My dislike of Albany Ave and the Albany Projects stems from the fact that they both contain references to that dysfunctional state capital of ours. Any time I hear the word "Albany" I want it to be as far away from me as possible.

novanglus

If you want to live within walking distance of either of those commercial strips, then PH is probably the place for you

Well, it gets to be a circular argument in a sense--what counts as 'walking distance' to Vanderbilt or Flatbush? Classon is about a 10 minute walk to Vanderbilt. Does that make it Prospect Heights? People who live between Classon and Washington tend to use the subway stop in Prospect Heights (E Parkway) rather than the one in Crown Heights (Franklin). Etc etc.

xlizellx

I saw the video linked everywhere (including in the now-locked thread earlier today) and I thought it was horrible. I know it was meant to be funny - but I really thought it was horrible. Maybe it was just me - but the tone was just off-putting.

whynot_31

I predict CH is fighting a losing battle, and the name procro will stick.

....money trumps tradition.

This doesn't mean I like the change, it just means I predict the area will be separate in the minds of many.

xlizellx

Also - this was a full page in today's New York Magazine

http://nymag.com/realestate/features/microneighborhoods/pro-crown-heights-2011-4/

whynot_31

I find Sunday afternoon walks to be amazing.

...that's when all the couples from outside the hood come look at local properties. While most of the country has seen it's real estate prices plummet, this slice of CH continues to hold it's value, or even go up.

novanglus

The term 'Pro-Cro' will always be a joke.

But, it is good to see the discussion go beyond arguing over where to draw an imaginary border. The truth be told, it's an area in transition both temporally and geographically. Not fully Prospect Heights or Crown Heights, but trending towards the former and away from the latter.