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The
kitchens at 29 Cooper Street feature stainless steel appliances, custom
honey brown cabinets, crème colored marble countertops and garbage
disposals.
by Sabrina Seidner
Sackman Enterprises, a major developer and landlord known for its predominantly Pre-War buildings throughout Manhattan, has brought new construction to Inwood.
There was a great deal of local anticipation for the 22-unit rental building which stands eight-stories tall at 29 Cooper Street, between Academy and W. 204th Streets. Passers-by watched the ground-up construction, which took two years to complete. At one point, the developer thought to bring the apartments to market as a condominium, but decided against it.
“The sales market was not good last year, and after doing comps we decided the rental market up there is better,” said Michelle Blake, the broker for Keyah, which is the exclusive sales and leasing agent for Sackman.
The kitchens feature stainless steel appliances, custom honey brown cabinets, crème colored marble countertops and garbage disposals. The bathrooms are slate and ivory with black subway tile, which have modern, high end finishes. The apartments also have hardwood floors, are pre wired for cable and internet, and have central air conditioning. The choice of colors in the kitchens and baths are a departure from the standard renovations the developer has used in its Pre- War buildings, which customarily had forest green counters and dark wood cabinets.
“I guess we just moved with the times, the green was popular back then and now the tenants are looking for something with more class and elegance. The building offers both,” said Blake.
The building houses 20 one bedroom apartments and two penthouses, which are two bedroom, two baths with large roof terraces and balconies. Floors 2-6 have just four apartments per floor, all one bedrooms in four different layouts. Ten have balconies facing interior courtyards and the others have more interior square footage but no outdoor space, and face east on Cooper Street.
“It’s nice to have new housing stock. Most of the buildings here are very old,” said local resident, Tom Shany. Standing on the roof terrace of one of the penthouses which rented within two weeks of the first open house, he said, “It’s beautiful. It’s nice up here…definitely worth the premium.”
The combination of layouts, outdoor space and brand new fixtures in a new elevator building with laundry room, garbage chute and nearby super has helped the developer get higher than average rents at 29 Cooper. Comparable one bedrooms from Harlem to Inwood on average run approximately $1350-$1650. Two bedrooms generally run on average from $1800 to $2300.
The Penthouses duplexes include approximately 1,200 interior square feet, and each has a terrace and a balcony. They rented at their asking prices, one for $2,395 and the other at $2,495 per month. All but four of the one bedrooms have rented. They have been on the market for $1,695-$1,795 per month, with some room for negotiation.
The ground floor units will be commercial space used for community purposes. A local dentist rented one space and the other unit which has a backyard, has been considered by various groups, including a day care center, said Blake.
The developer has been paying brokers one month commission for renting the apartments to tenants, which has helped attract renters from other neighborhoods as well. Bonnie Crespie was one such New Yorker, who chose to move up from Harlem. Even though she was not very familiar with Inwood, Crespi was drawn in by the brand new kitchens and baths, as well as the outdoor space.
“The soft yellow stone building with modern art showcased in the marble lobby, and the modern, clean apartments,”helped solidify a quick decision, said Crespi.
Sabrina Seidner is a real estate agent and writer. She specializes in the Upper West Side and Inwood.
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