Times Tackles Kensington, Sees Affordable Melting Pot
This weekend Kensington got the “Living In…” treatment c/o the Times’ real estate section, where the neighborhood (a narrow stretch just below Prospect Park bordered on the west by Borough Park and on the east by Victorian Flatbush nabes like Ditmas Park) is characterized as a multi-culti, cheapish alternative to the Slope. The story profiles…
This weekend Kensington got the “Living In…” treatment c/o the Times’ real estate section, where the neighborhood (a narrow stretch just below Prospect Park bordered on the west by Borough Park and on the east by Victorian Flatbush nabes like Ditmas Park) is characterized as a multi-culti, cheapish alternative to the Slope. The story profiles some white gentrifiers priced out of the Slope and Windsor Terrace who revel in Kensington’s diversity, affordability, decent schools, and proximity to the park but lament the lack of certain amenities, like coffee shops. Comps: 1-fams=$650,000 to $750,000; 2-fams generally go from $750,000 to $900,000; 1-bed condos tend to range from $150,000 to $300,000; and 1-bed rentals are usually less than $1,500 per month. The piece says Kensington has pockets of Bangladeshi, Pakistani, Muslim, and Hasidic Jew communities, and includes the following quote from the founder of the Kensington Blog: “It’s actually a real New York neighborhood, where you can see tons of different kinds of people and we shop at the same places. There’s real beauty in that. At the end of the day, if I have to hop on my bike to go to a restaurant, it’s not that big of a deal.” All this sound about right?
Name From London, People From Everywhere [NY Times]
NY Times Article [Kensington Blog]
The Times discovers Kensington [Flatbush Gardener]
Photo by Precision Accuracy.
Let’s see now. People want to get rid of the longtime residents and the recent immigrants. What will remain is blandness.
I lived in Kensington for 6 years and always felt very safe. It’s a great value!
I’d been in Carroll Gardens since 1999 and was sad to find I was totally priced out. My husband and I bought a two bedroom coop in Kensington in November and could not be happier.
We did the research and based our search on the following criteria – Schools, space + price. Ok, price, price, price, schools + space.
We have a child and aren’t going out anyway, so we don’t feel like we’re missing much. What we’ve gained is quick access to a great playground (Greenwood Playground), a nice library and Prospect Park; A much shorter walk to the subway, tons of light, and a huge floor plan. Seriously, we joke that we’re tired from walking around our big apartment.
Greenwood playground and The Golden Farm ARE like the UN. The diversity is great. There’s a bunch of kids who play cricket on Saturday.
I totally miss the services and convenience, but I also hop on the subway and go to CG all the time for the CVS and Winn Discount… Trade offs were required, but it was worth it.
Oh, *that* kind of coffee. I don’t know, before my self-employed days, when I was a corporate drone, I made my own coffee, because I couldn’t even get my clothes on straight without it. Of course that kind of place would be great. But if people are looking for a cafe to sit down and relax in, Old Brick is pretty nice. No idea how early they open.
What time does Old Brick open? I need my espresso around 6:30 a.m. From the looks of the full platform at Church Ave and McD at that hour, so does everyone else! I’m on the “other” side of McD. We need some espresso, etc closer to the train (near McDonald). There are a couple of empty store fronts near there for someone to jump in-
By the way, I think Park Slope / Brooklyn Heights is the most overrated neighborhood in NYC. Can someone explain the advantage of these nabes over say Upper East Side?
You are paying Manhattan money, without living in Manhattan. I rather spend 5 more minutes on the train and double my space.
You could buy anything in NYC 10 years ago and would have made a ton of money. Hell my coop apartment in Kensington more than doubled in last 5 years alone.
Look at Clinton Hills / Fort Green, consider their proximity to Manhattan, now compare with Brooklyn Heights, Long Island City, Newport Jersey City, yeah I thought so. What about Harlem and Washington Heights? They are right in Manhattan and much cheaper than the areas mentioned above. Compare apple to apples please, brownstone against a row house? Of course brownstone is going to win.
In any case, when you are renting you live where you want to live, when you are buying investment is a MUCH BIGGER factor. At the moment, Kensington is the best overall value in Brooklyn. I am addicted to real estate ads, my 125K, 875 sqft JR4 on Beverley (5 min to F train) is now worth at least 260K and that is for a quick sale. I gave myself a budget of 300K and looked all over NYC for a better deal.
Guess what? Can’t find it. In fact, if I don’t already own an apartment today, and have to buy a new one, only Jackson Heights in Queens comes close to Kensington’s value. You really can’t beat it.
Sorry I take F over Q any day, Q is way too dark for me.
I moved from Park Slop to East 7th in a co-op apt. between CIA and Ocean Parkway, closer to the Ditmas Park Cortelyou Road. I know many other Park Slopers who have also bought in the area. I agree it depends where you are in Kensington. I am equidistant to both the Cortelyou BQ and the F (either Church or Ditmas Ave stops), and love having the flexibility of which to use. I take the Q for commuting but love having the F on weekends to go a short way to Park Slope, DUMBO, Carroll Gardens, and LES.
I admit I hang out more on Cortelyou in Ditmas Park precisely because there’s more there. But I agree that all it takes is ONE great place to open up and the rest will come. Church Ave. is a main shopping area, and like the article says, are mostly “downscale”. But it’s soooo full of great potential! Including CIA, if anyone has an entrepreneurial spirit. In fact, I just saw an Auto Garage on CIA off Cortelyou for sale or rent. It could make a great first start for a bar ala Billyburg where they started converting those ugly garages into shops/restaurants/bars. CIA could use some beautification!
I still go the Kensington “center” to go to Golden Farm for groceries (although, it is more convenient for me to pick up groceries at Cortelyou’s 2 organic groceries on my walk home.
I’m a single woman and have come home at 2 am (NOT drunk) and obviously cross CIA. Never a problem. As Ditmas Park gentrifies, so will Kensington. Just walking around on a Sunday and going into the groceries show just how much has changed since the last year… the demographics have increasingly become “park slopish”. And sorry, but once you start seeing the label-conscious Asians move in, you know it’s going to change. If the economy were better than it is, both Kensington and Ditmas Park would develop much faster. For now, it’s slowly changing.
Kensington has 3 Thai places.. 2 new in the last year that are excellent. And we also have LES’ NYC ICY that just opened. Also, a great Falafal place.
I also just saw a 3 story limestone for sale on Cortelyou just west of Ocean Parkway (between 3 and 4th st?). I wish I had the money to buy it. It’s not a beautiful area, but those limestones are not often for sale in the neighborhood!
Come check it out. Start at the Cortelyou Q stop and walk down Cortelyou, past OP and CIA. Or, Take the F to Church Ave. and explore the center. OCean Parkway is great for a stroll too.
Do the people begging for a coffee shop not realize that Old Brick Cafe makes some of the best espresso around? And they’re usually playing something Balkan/Greek/etc, for those of you wishing for “world music”.