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.
people are sooo down on the F train.
but it’s pretty much the only subway option for neighborhoods like carroll gardens, cobble hill, red hook (yeah, yeah), and a big chunk of “prime” park slope. I’m not sure why some think it’s a dealbreaker for windsor terrace and kensington, being only 1 or two stops further out on the line.
10:01- eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeks!
“you cannot change a ghetto black neighborhood. i’d like to see that example. Fort Greene + Clinton Hill + prospect hts are still predominantly black with not good schools.”
Yeah, people who bought a brownstone in Ft. Greene 10 years ago must be SO very bitter about making that investment.
Right. Go back to your white Italian neighborhoods with their bad subway service (if any) your neighbors’ tacky tastes resulting in curb-cuts, bricked-in porches, and chrome railings on the front stoop (yes they install those – it’s the new thing among the Italians) and yes please do stay away from the more valuable and historic structures of Ft. Greene, PLG, and Clinton Hill.
I sort of agree with 10:49… The reason Kensington is so hyped and is seeing so much interest is because more “desirable” areas like Manhattan, Brooklyn Heights, Park Slope, etc are prohibitively expensive for many. Yet people still want to be less than an hour’s subway ride from their jobs and other amenities of the more desirable neighborhoods. The story of the couple in the NYT article would seem to confirm this theory, although obviously their story is not everybody’s: they considered Park Slope, couldn’t afford it, then considered Windsor Terrace, couldn’t afford it either, finally look at the next nabe – which was Kensington – and found that it was finally something they COULD afford. Not their first choice, but a compromise based on financial considerations.
Hey poster re: 599 East 7th
I live in Kensington, but closer to Church and the F train, so I won’t be very helpful. I love where I live, but I don’t know much about your block.
Whenever you’re looking to buy a place, stalk it. Talk to the neighbors coming in and out of the building and on the street. Ask them how they feel. Try to find out how long people have lived in the building. If they’ve stayed for a long time, they might be happy (or priced out of other nabes). Go at night, on the weekends, etc. If you’re worried about crime, you can find local crime stats via the NYPD
http://www.nyc.gov/html/nypd/html/crime_prevention/crime_statistics.shtml
I feel safer in Kensington than I have in any other neighborhood. The housing density is low, so there are a lot of home owners who will respond if someone is screaming in the streets – as it’s likely their neighbor.
The location seems good – close enough to the F and Q trains. God knows I wish I were as close to Vox Pop as you will be.
Wishing you clarity and strength as you make your decision!
“The only thing lacking is a coffee shop. And it would be great if the coffee shop catered to ALL of the residents by serving various teas – masala chai, russian teas, polish teas, cafe con leche, mexican hot chocolate, whatever the Israelis drink, and good-old-fashioned yuppie-caliber coffee.”quote from 9:26
BRILLIANT IDEA!!!!WHERE ARE YOU ENTREPENEURS????OPEN A WORLD CAFE featuring world music, etc. We definitely have enough locals to fill the place.Take the best of Kensington (all the diversity) and go with it!
I didn’t see a couple “profiled”. Are we talking about the same article???
Kensington is definitely not for everyone. Please do not come here if you are looking for “a good investment”. Come here because you want to LIVE here.
kensington is pretty lae..although vested interests have been trying really really hard to pimp it up for a few years now
it aint working
I moved to Kensington from the Slope and I don’t miss it at all. I moved from Manhattan to Brooklyn and never looked back on that move either.
But that Times article was VERY annoying (or maybe it was the couple profiled that was annoying)