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Construction on Caton Court, a medium-sized condo near the Parade Grounds, is looking more or less complete nowadays. The banner hanging from the building announces that it’s going to have one- and two-bedroom units (far as we know, they haven’t hit the market yet), and we’re wondering what kind of prices the developers could be hoping for. Condos at Lefferts South, about five blocks east, are selling for around $500 a foot, and it seems to us like Caton Court’s location between 17th and 18th streets is more attractive than Lefferts South’s. But per a reader who’s been watching Caton Court go up—and is rooting for it to sell well—the new building’s coordinates are potentially problematic:

The avenue itself is an incessantly clogged noisy truck route, and the Church Ave. IND station, in need of an upgrade throughout, is at its very worst at the Caton Avenue end, a virtual ruin. The commercial strip a block away on Church Avenue is pure crap, and when they roll down the grates in the evening it’s creepy…I wonder whether new residents will want to pay whatever they’re asking to be the gentrifying pioneers on what is currently a very gritty working-class corridor.

Predictions?
GMAP


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  1. This is new York not the suburbs. Do you know how many truck routes there are? Buying or not buying an apartment does not depend on the road alone. Why would anybody pay a premium price just to live on another busy traffic clogged street. Do you own your apt. on Caton? If you do you would want people to be interested in buying in the neighborhood. If hate the truck route so much why are you still living there?

  2. Seriously- I am not kidding when I say that the truck traffic is a HUGE HUGE problem. I am not talking about 10-12 ft cube trucks making local deliveries- these are FULL SIZE semis coming from or going to Kennedy Airport. There are also dump trucks and riggs pulling empty shipping containers. Empty they sound like a bomb going off when they hit the littlest pothole. I live on Caton Ave and the floor shakes when these trucks go by.
    When you go to look at the apt this weekend look at the road condition of Caton Ave. The heavy trucks have squeezed all of the asphalt to the side, towards the curb.

    Promise me if you love the apt that you will visit it during the week when the shipping lane is in full swing. You will not love it on a Monday morning at 6:30am. It is 24 hours a day 7 days a week.

    Sorry.

  3. The location is a lot more convenient than other new buildings we have looked at and more affordable. It’s across the street from train station and around the corner from Prospect Park. No more walking 8 blocks to the train for me on a freezing or rainy day and it’s only 5 stops to Manhattan on the train. I am definitely sold. Why would I want to pay $700.00 a square foot on the other side of the Park if I can get the same here and the Q and B train have a lot less stops to Manhattan than the F train. Anyways I am looking forward to being there.

  4. In reading all of the comments listed I have to say the negativity is just ridiculous. This is NY we are talking about. I am currently living on LI and am very interested in this building, which I will be going to check out this weekend. I don’t really think the location matters to much because you could find the best location with buildings tossed into the smallest space that costs way more then this building. And people will still pay the money for it. I think the thought of someone coming into an community and investing is enough for me to consider moving from the suburbs, where I have lived all my life, to be a part of the redevelopment. I’ve looked on LI for condos and while the neighborhoods are great the cost is just crazy not to mention the taxes. Plus, I work in Manhattan so my costs for commute will cut more than half and reduce my stress level with LIRR. I am not a subway rider but I will get used to it especially if I could live in a brand new building that is close to the park. With the pollution and truck comments mentioned come on you have to expect that in any city. Take a look at Manhattan!!! Park Avenue alone has tons of trucks driving down the streets daily and a new Condo can easily go for higher then a million in the a good and bad section. At the end of the day people would never be satisfied but that is why the art of negotiating is key to any purchase to ensure you’re getting a good deal. I think the building looks great and I hope it is perfect to suit my needs if not then so be it.

  5. In reading all of the comments listed I have to say the negativity is just ridiculous. This is NY we are talking about. I am currently living on LI and am very interested in this building, which I will be going to check out this weekend. I don’t really think the location matters to much because you could find the best location with buildings tossed into the smallest space that costs way more then this building. And people will still pay the money for it. I think the thought of someone coming into an community and investing is enough for me to consider moving from the suburbs, where I have lived all my life, to be a part of the redevelopment. I’ve looked on LI for condos and while the neighborhoods are great the cost is just crazy not to mention the taxes. Plus, I work in Manhattan so my costs for commute will cut more than half and reduce my stress level with LIRR. I am not a subway rider but I will get used to it especially if I could live in a brand new building that is close to the park. With the pollution and truck comments mentioned come on you have to expect that in any city. Take a look at Manhattan!!! Park Avenue alone has tons of trucks driving down the streets daily and a new Condo can easily go for higher then a million in the a good and bad section. At the end of the day people would never be satisfied but that is why the art of negotating is key to any purchase to ensure you’re getting a good deal. I think the building looks great and I hope it is perfect to suit my needs if not then so be it.

  6. First, thanks Brenda, well said.

    Next/Finally, I saw the actual unit. On Sunday, there was a showing of apt. 2B. I wasn’t impressed by the floorplan and the construction and appliances were NOT top-notch. It’s very small with a full bath just as you enter the apartment! IF you decide to invest in this structure, BEWARE, as $500/sf is a bit astronomical for this building, given the underdeveloped status of the neighborhood and the poor construction and layout of the units. The truck route and the incessant traffic are significant annoyances, as is parking if you want to park close to the building.

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