Development profile: LIC’s condo scene goes green with the Solarium Condos
Solarium Condo penthouse, 5-43 48th Ave, Long Island City
As the Long Island City condo development pauses for station identification, a few lucky construction projects have successfully made it to the finish line. The Solarium, now open for sales, is marketing itself as the first green condo development in Hunters Point, and is bolting out of the gate with a starting average price point of roughly $700/SF. Studios start in the $400K’s, 2BRs at $700K, and 3BR are $1.1M and up.
View from Solarium Condo terrace, 5-43 48th Ave, Long Island City
The condo building benefits not only from its location on a double-wide street, but also from the open views directly in front of it which include the Hunters Point Community Park across the street. The rooms are naturally bright and sunny with floor-to-ceiling windows, and fitted with warm, earthy textures and colors. You can scope the rolling Hunters Point view from the terraces and also on the bi-level roof-deck, which interestingly features an open-air movie theater on the roof that should be fun in the warmer months.
As referenced by the name and the marketing campaign, the Solarium is going for a silver rating under the National Green Building Program. Some highlights of its energy efficiency are wind turbine power, recycled steel and masonry, Energy Star appliances, and non-toxic interior paint/finishes.
Solarium Condo apartment, 5-43 48th Ave, Long Island City
As a bonus to the Vernon/Jackson community, apparently both ground floor commercial condo units have accepted offers, and should be delivering some sweet & secret forthcoming retail to the block. Stay tuned for more info on that in our usual Local Biz Updates.
- Solarium Condos 5-43 48th Ave, @ Vernon Blvd, Hunters Point, LIC. Marketed by Rick Rosa of Nancy Packes Inc.
It is hard to compare One Hunter’s Point to Solarium.
The location is a world of difference. I live in the 5SL building next door and the location can’t be beat. Its quiet, there is lots of light and you are near Vernon and the water. Plus there is no train noise blasting into your apartment all day.
And OHP is not high quality construction either.
#2 give me a break. Its not NYC and this development is definitely not by the waterfront. This should be going for $500 a sq/ft.
Asking price and selling price are two different things. They can ask $700/sqft all they want, it doesn’t mean they’ll get it. And #3 the Vere condos are in a way worse location and also asking about $700 as well… what they really do behind closed doors is a different story. I think this should be asking price $600-650 per sqft, and selling for that or just a little less. $700 is a stretch right now, but I agree it’s a nice location.
I heard that the building has a very nice playroom for kids.
#3 must be a broker for a competing development. Do you have to be hanging over the the river to be on the waterfront? This is less than 2 blocks from the pier. That’s ON THE WATERFRONT. I agree with #4….$600/sqft is more appropriate. But in this day and age, asking for $700 means you’ll get $600.
Asking price and selling price are two different things? ARE U STILL 2000..LATE? Now Solarium asks from $700 and up, and they think they just start to sell and do not want to soft on the price yet….as per Street easy, OHP now has lower the price and had 6 close units just in Dec, 2009…which building in LIC can sell this speed now?
#2 is right on “Soluraiam or 5 SL have better location”. But don’t forget…you are still in LIC, not UES or UWS, and you are not in Tribeca either. 40% different is crazy!
Looks like OHP latest sales are at $600psf+, and Solarium is a better location. OHP is not poor quality construction, not sure what #2 is talking about.
Any word on the ground floor retail?
This is #2 again. I didn’t say OHP was poor quality construction, I just remember visiting a few of the places and it was not as nice as many others. For example, I remember the shower floor being plastic instead of tile like others. And the doors looked flimsier. But to each their own and I am certainly not a trained eye in architecture.
Mainly I hated the noise and was afraid it would drive away future buyers.
To #1, did you look at the monthly carrying costs? Solarium is less than half the cost of any other building in L.I.C.. Every $500. of carrying cost is equivalent to $100K in sale price. This means that the value on Solarium will increase better than the other condo’s in LIC with higher carrying costs. Never mind “Location, location” which it is on the best street in LIC.
I live in Hunters View which is the sister building to OHP. I can assure you that the shower floor is not plastic… it is definitely tile. It’s a really nice building actually… Just to shed light on that topic. The building is by the Pulaski Bridge which at some hours is kind of noisy. But it’s mainly noisy just during rush hours and it really depends on what side of the building you are on. OHP has some issues with trains but again it really depends on what side you are on.
I feel really close to the water and to vernon, only a few blocks more than 5SL. The views here are amazing from almost every side of the building. I do love the double-wide street 5SL is on though. I remember looking there and there prices were way higher than here.
We bought during the height of new condo development in LIC before this place and any around me were even built. No one would budge on the asking price in any building we went to… and we really fought hard even when some of these places were asking $800-900+/sf. We paid $630/sf. I know the #s of recent apt sales in my building… actually, any building… its public record (deed & mortgage) and easily found online.
Am I upset that if I bought right now I could probably get this specific apt. for $580/sf (based on 12/2009 and 1/2010 closings of the same apt on different floors)… No, I am not. We are here for the long run, minimum of 6 years, more likely 10+. It’s a really great neighborhood and although there are many, many new developments… it has ceased (that tax-abatement is over for new developments) and eventually these will all fill up and I have a good idea that our apt. price will steadily rise back to where it was, if not over what we paid.
Woah, that was a really long post. Sorry about that. ;-)
Does anyone know anything about the building next to Solarium? It hasn’t been touched, only scaffolding has been there for… well, forever. It’s creepy looking… and I think it is home to about 5000 pigeons. Any info?
In the post liqcity just posted today it says in LIC over by the Costco they are asking $700+ per SqFt. So $700 in the center of town does not seem so far off. 48th Ave and Vernon is an awesome location btw, probably the most convenient of all in terms of getting to all the good stuff. Not every development is the same. Even in a bad market, a very well located and designed building can still do very well. I liked a conversion in Williamsburg and it was sold out 6 months ago… SOLD OUT, while all the other buildings right around it are languishing with inventory. They got asking price and more… if you saw how good the building was you would understand why it would do well in any market. If Solarium has that magic, and that’s where the construction comes in, it’ll do well in this market also.
I’ve been to most of the larger condos in LIC and OHP is by far the worst that I have seen. As in, it is so subpar that I wouldn’t consider living there even if it was $400 psf. Cheap finishes, cheap closet doors, ugly layout, HUGE heating/cooling units. The whole thing just screamed cheap. I can’t remember everything because my husband and I were so turned off that we left after a quick viewing. I mean, the building is definitely livable, but it was just so subpar compared to all the other nearby condos that we wouldn’t even consider it. Also, the gym is the the size of a closet. And the dust and noise from highway traffic wasn’t a big selling point either.
Love the fact that Solarium is green (thermal windows are great) and their common costs are so low. Location is great, but it is not “on the waterfront”, neither is 5sl. More like, “close to the waterfront”. But I’m not sure how they will sell at $700 psf, or even 650 psf. Why do condos continue to choose electric heat? Isn’t that much more expensive than gas and therefore un-green? Ugly water heater in unit, electric stove, ugly ceiling fans, weird looking long showers with no tubs, no bathroom storage space, ugly rusty looking bathroom fixtures are also negatives that should factor in the price. Hands down, this is a better built condo than OHP, but appearance-wise, in my opinion, not as good looking as 5sl, the foundry, rockrose buildings, lhaus interior. Definitely nothing magical here.
#16, if modern developments are going for $600/sq ft in the financial district (i.e. on Manhattan), why would I pay more to live in Queens? I love LIC and have been in the neighborhood since ‘99 but I’m finding it hard to digest the logic behind your numbers. I’m also beginning to suspect that some posts come from brokers protecting their turf…
I think that the difference between LIC and Financial District is probably in amenities you get per square foot., though I agree it makes no sense that LIC should even compete with Manhattan neighborhoods. But then explain to me why I can rent a comparable high-rise apartment in UES for less than in LIC? My guess would be the view, but if you do a search online you will see cheaper rents in the UES than here. I do agree it makes no sense, but doesn’t mean it’s not the case.
I don’t know about the rental market 19. I would guess that the UES has a lot of younger, just-out-of-college type folks that might be a bit more exposed to the economic downturn than other areas in Manhattan.
Question, what do you guys think is a good development if you were looking to buy a condo now? I’m thinking of upgrading to a two bedroom.
Show me a new condo in FiDi that is going for $600/sf. I will buy it right now.
To #16 : The things you mentioned that are wrong in Solarium (fans, elect. stove,shower stalls etc.. ) are subject to one’s taste. The building is well made,well laid out and located better than (L haus and Foundry) and the same as 5sl (but has outdoor space and roof top amenities that 5sl lacks). You can always change faucets and other fixtures, but you can’t change location. Wake up and realize a good thing and don’t be so quick to knock something. Rockrose is full of rentals , what good is that to your investment? Solarium looks like the last of the 421a tax abated buildings in L.I.C and when it sells out, people like you will have wished you purchased into it when you had the chance. (keep in mind that iterest rates will rise soon and no more buildings are going up in the next few years around here.Certainly not with 15 year tax abatements.
And don’t forget the loud summer evenings in front of Solarium and 5SL. Residents have been complaining for years about noise most of the night from the park as well as folks jumping into their yard over the wall with those perfectly designed toe holds filled with glass. It’s something to consider. But maybe the buyers can have impact on the situation once they are in the community. I had a friend move in less than a year of her purchase at 5SL because she couldn’t stand the noise. Will the outdoor theater have impact on the surrounding buildings? How are they going to control how, who and when that theater is running? It’s a nice idea……but how is that going to work?
The real estate market must be picking up with Wall Street bonuses pending. It’s been a while since there’s been a good my building is better than yours conversation here.
My 2 cents – location is everything. For my money If I had to be in LIC I would rather be by 48th. Sure you can find a condo anywhere else in Manhattan for $600 a sq.ft., but can you find new construction in a building with amenities, views, etc. If so I will join #21 and buy it sight unseen.
I think it’s questionable to say by definition LIC condos should be greatly discounted versus Manhattan. I (like many of us I suspect) lived in Manhattan for years and I much prefer my current apartment (in the Badge). We have light, views, a car, freedom of going to and from the city on the weekends without tons of congestion, a nice new waterfront park, and a neighborhood feel that much of Manhattan lost or never had (FiDi is a great example). If I could literally transplant my apartment and the benefits I describe to the UWS I probably would, and it would be worth much more for sure, but the point is you can’t. Most of those benfits cannot be had in Manhattan at least not without quadrupling the price. It’s not going to be the same, but what I lost in Manhattan convenience and cache I think is easily made up for in the benefits I mention above. Those things add to property values without question. I wouldn’t say out of hand that everything in Manhattan should be 25% more.
#22 – are you a broker or developer related to this building? I just expressed my opinion about how the building looks. You can think whatever you’d like. But “people like me” will definitely not wish I had purchased here at 700 psf. You are right, a lot of the things I mentioned can be changed, but “people like me” will not be paying to change all these things after paying 700 psf. And no, you cannot get rid of the water heater in the closet, or change to a gas stove unless there is a gas line there. You could buy here if you want, if “people like you” don’t have an ulterior motive for loving this development over others.
I would live in LIC over FiDi, no question.
People have decided that manhattan is a small place.
Many parts of manhattan SUCK. There are plenty of areas in manhattan that I would live in over LIC but there are also many parts of manhattan that I would pass up to live in LIC and FiDi is one of them. If you have to live in a crappy part of manhattan just to say that you live in manhattan … well that’s pretty pathetic.
You’re right #24, the return of the condo building war is a good sign. Though #22 sounded very broker-like, there is a good point in there about being a tax-abated building. Although, someday (and probably not too far away) it seems fair to assume that the tax abatement will come back to stimulate real estate development again. That was the whole point of it in the first place. It’s not like they can’t just do it again.
The only reason the tax abatement came into existence this time around was b/c of 9/11. To spur development and keep people from leaving the city ala the 70’s when crime was out of control.
I sincerely hope the abatement program doesn’t happen again and isn’t needed.
Bring back the abatement. Hundreds of properties were rehabed and brought into productive use as a result of this program. Its a win win. Property that wasn’t generating taxes for the city are returned to the tax rolls (partially at first and fully after a certain amount of years).
Fidi sucks big time. Anyone who want to live there over LIC is crazy.
And a lot of people were displaced because of the tax abatement.
# 25 puts the reasons to living hear quite nicely I think. It’s basically about quality of life, which is certainly an individual, personal interpretation. One would hope you would love where you live and not just look at it as an investment. You have the right attitude, lets hope we can maintain the sense of open sky and community.
So I do believe it important to consider what is around you when purchasing in LIC as the landscape will continue to change. When purchasing look all around and ask, which property will fall next and how will that affect me? You may not like that your windows were covered, or that you had a view of the Brooklyn Bridge but the next person to purchase from you, wasn’t used to those windows, or that view, so if you or your broker can hype the place to them….you will be able to sell it and get out because now you can’t stand that you lost, what drew you to purchase in the first place.
Things do change and this neighborhood will become Manhattan if responsible development is not maintained.
I am student (economics), and I have been renting in LIC for over a year now. The federal government has to find a way to pay for two wars, baling out private financial instituitions and figuring out how to pay for a national health care program. Where are they going for that revenue? NYS ’s government is a disaster as well. We will pay with our hard earned money in increased taxes. Buying a home now makes more sense now than ever before, and the window is closing. Interest rates will go up this summer (who knows how fast) and that means your dollar will not go as far in the future as it will today. Real estate is a hedge against inflation. Judging from what everyone is saying, tax abatement is over for any new buildings(making the ones that have it now ,more valuable). I hope to get money from relatives for a down payment and put it into one of these L.I.C. condos soon .
#33 your GPA must really be LOW…if you think its a good time to buy….
We want interest rates to skyrocket…because any smart economics student would know you want to LOWEST sales price you can get. the people that made a fortune bought back in 82. when mortgages was 15% and up…….
But then your poor schooling is whats at the heart of the bubble, you don’t have a clue how to use a calculator. And millions of others didn’t either.
#29:
The majority of people are really stupid in America…All the tax rebate did was to INCREASE the sales price 20-30% So the builders were laughing all the way to the bank.
I’ll bet either most of the people will default 10 years down the road when they have to pay Full taxes…..and even worse a new buyer will pay LESS knowing the abatement will be over in a few years.
Nice Scam to stick it to the pretentious “rich” people and their exotic loans.
Tax abatement should have worked the other way No tax abatement’s for any apartments over $200,000
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I sincerely hope the abatement program doesn’t happen again and isn’t needed.
To #33: (from the student) Your ability to write a cohesive thought has a lot to be desired(speaking of a low GPA). If I get your logic high interst rate = low sales cost(lower real estate prices). Maybe you should teach that at Harvard business school. Higher interest rates make the cost to build higher. Also, buying land will be more costly( again getting loans at higher interest rates). Guess what, Einstein, labor will rise because the cost of living will be higher. Try buying in that environment. Inflation is coming and you can not earn enough money to keep up with it. That is why you buy stocks , real estate and other investments to offset those issues.
Economics 101
I was excited to see Solarium come up, though I am happy with renting I would like to see a building other than the View where I would consider buying. But then looking at the floorplans, it looks like (at least in the two bedrooms) there are no bathtubs. And maybe it’s just me but that’s a huge dealbreaker. Their kitchens are nice though, which is usually the weakest point in most of the other condos.
George, your view is off point. The tax abatements spurs building and development of properties and areas that otherwise would not be built, because of high development costs.
YES they should teach that at Harvard business schools….they are a Failure
Get this once and for all….. Investment means cash flow POSITIVE
a Speculation means cash flow NEGATIVE.
The right price for housing is when you can rent it out in an emergency and at least break even let alone make $100-200 amonth
By using that standard all these condos in LIC are still 40-50% overpriced…maybe $250 a sq foot will be the right price
If you want to throw your money away on a mortgage that’s fine with me…. I prefer to use a calculator, and not listen to high school dropout real estate agents
You didn’t know that….you don’t even need a HS diploma to be an agent or broker…
And NO buying land will cost LESS it was the cheap interest that made land more expensive.
Plus the Biggest Fallacy was they are not making more land
Just what was this bubble about ???????? making more land by cutting down orange groves apple vineyards, wooded areas, destroy production in order to clear more land for McMansions….
Its all been a great big lie….and they never taught that at Harvard did they??
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. If I get your logic high interst rate = low sales cost(lower real estate prices). Maybe you should teach that at Harvard business school
George, you have to live somewhere. Orange groves, apple vineyards ….. You need more than an economic lesson, you need some mental health care. You have issues with the modern world. Go live in an uninhabitated island and you won’t have to worry about real estate being over built. I pay $3000. /mo for a 2 bedroom in L.I.C. ( I have a room mate) . A $500K loan at 6% interest over a 30 year term is less than what I pay in rent! One of the condo buildings (talked about in this blog) has a very low maint. and tax abatement . I can own for a little more than what I am paying in rent. In case of an emergency ,I can rent that out and pay my mortgage and still have a home to live in.(That is not SPECULATION)
That is making good $ense. When rates go up , anyone who thinks like you will remain in the same position you are today.
Prices have skyrocketed 40% way past reasonable expectation over the past 5 or 8 years. Everything is crazy ridiculous overpriced. If prices drop 10%, its still 30% too much. It is still 5 times as expensive to live anywhere else if it were 500 psf. To buy in the solarium, you could just pay the same to live on the french rivera, on the beach, in a bigger apartment. Its idiotic. end of argument. (I hate nyc real estate)
#39
You are right, but now what happens if that $500K apartment drops to $400K or less and you are still stuck with paying $3000 a month when the only renters with decent credit left after this debacle…offers you $2500…..
And Yes i need mental care for finding a retired landlord with a paid off house 2 bedrooms for $1250 in LIC…. plus I can park in the driveway and never get an alt side ticket.
Yes I really need to see a shrink so i can squander my money on a $3000 apartment.
PS when that abatement ends and they have to pay FULL re taxes what do you think is going to happen to the price?????? down down down Its the total cost per month to live there and when that goes UP, the amount of new buyers/ renters goes DOWN
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George, you have to live somewhere
YES and I will still be happy not to own…
The Tax deductions are mostly a LIE….most people do not pay enough in interest and RE taxes to Itemize deduction….
So you WANT high interest rates which will be far more then the standard deduction and then the tax breaks kick in….
But then High Interest rates means LOW home prices….
Do the math
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When rates go up , anyone who thinks like you will remain in the same position you are today.
OHP is 70% sold and just got FHA approval( so as Hunters View), so it’s only requires 3.5% down and it will attract a lots people. Solarium is nice, but if you have to wait for 70% sold to get your mortgage, you have a long time to go.
I drove by Hunters point and L haus tonight around 8pm over the pulaski brigde…
Does anyone live there…geez it looked like 90% of both were EMPTY…..
So much for the people want to LIVE THERE joke.
Hey George, you are obviously a person with simple ambitions in life. Lifetime renter, which is ok. Don’t comment then on people trying to better their future by buying and owning a home. Your landlord will one day sell, give his home to a relative or just die. When that happens you will not have such a good deal. That scenario is more likely than NYC (this is not FL,NV,AZ etc..) losing real estate values like you mentioned. It has not happened yet, so why later?
There are people who make things happen and those who wait and have things happen to them. You are the later. Nothing wrong with that, but get off of the real estate condo blog.
I visited Solarium and decided it wasn’t for me when I saw the tiny electric 30 gallon water tank in all the units (including two bedrooms!). A 10-minute shower takes 20 gallons of hot water. That means if my boyfriend and I take 10 minute showers, we’ve used up all the hot water in the apartment. Forget about having overnight guests over, and forget about doing laundry and taking a shower at the same time.
10 minute showers! So much for conserving energy? I guess people talk about “going green” but “god forbid” I have to give up my “10 min shower”. (The average shower lasts less than 4 mins) Solarium probably has flow restrictors on the shower heads, so your 20 gallons of water calculation is well off. Call Al Gore and tell him the earth is doomed.
I agree with #47, I have a family of 5 (2 teenage girls!) and a 40 gallon tank and 3 bathrooms (plus laundry that the woman in #46 could never match). I never had hot water problems. You don’t use 100% hot water from a tank for every shower. It is mixed with cold water. If you don’t understand that, you need to educate yourself. Ask any plumber.
Thought I’d chime in. A properly heated 10-minute shower uses 20 gallons of HOT water, in ADDITION to cold water on top of that. If you include cold water, the average 10-minute shower probably uses 30-40 gallons of water (hot and cold) total. Just google “average hot water shower” or check out “http://www.smarthotwater.com/howmuchuse.htm”. If you want to talk about Al Gore, he’d be furious that Solarium was using electricity to heat the water and the stoves because heating things by electricity is less efficient than heating things by gas, so in the end, you’re making a bigger carbon foot print on the environment since our electricity comes from burning gas, oil, or coal in some plant miles away. I have to think that #48 is related to the developer because there’s no way a family of five could function on a 40-gallon hot water tank.
I have a 40 gallon tank and it has never run out of hot water. You do not do the laundry, shower (twice), use the sinks etc.. all at the same instant of time. Hot water tanks are designed to recover quickly. Otherwise homes with 5 person family would need a 100 gallon tank to support your story.
I’ve been reading all the comments regarding my building, Solarium. Yes, I’m the developer of this building. By the way, I like to thank LIQCity for doing a piece on us.
Most of the people in the area know of me since i’ve been living and developing in LIC, for around 15 years. We have been developing buildings in LIC way before the rezoning was passed. Our goal was to help improve the area where my wife and I live. I came on here to address some misconceptions people might have of my building, Solarium.
To #49, I’m sorry you didn’t find out building to your liking due to our hot water heaters. It’s tough to design and build a building to everyones liking. The hot water heaters in our building are more than enough to handle a 2bath / 1kitchen / 1laundry. We have these things researched and approved by the NYC Building Dept. (Plumbing Division), building’s engineer, and National Home Asso. for Builders. These things are not something we pull out of the air. They are actually used in other projects that give us the facts. I just wanted to clear things up on that matter. Again, sorry my building wasn’t for you, but maybe the next one I’m working on will be.
The National Home Assoc. is working with us on making a better/greener building for our community& buyers. The tests they have run in our building has us rated 20%-25% more efficent than most buildings in NYC. We are actually proud that we’re able to pass this on to you. One of our other buildings, Prestige, which some of you might know, is all electric just like Solarium. Our buyers ConEd bills are between $150-$200 a month. My bills at where I live is $450. This is due to the fact that i have gas & electric. This one main reason is why I switched my other buildings to electric. My buyers at Prestige are very happy with the system, which makes me happy that I’ve done well. It’s all about saving cost down the line.
When we design our buildings we like to ask our previous buyers what is it that you like or hate about our building. We take that info and apply it to our next development project. Now, it’s tough to try and please everyone out there, but we do our best. One of my points are always take a unit in each of my buildings. This allows me to stay close with my buyers. They get to know me and ask questions on upgrading their units or expanding on them. It keeps it personnal.
If there are any questions you might have, feel free to ask.
Thanks
To #50, check out the chart at the bottom of this webpage, and pay attention to the “Electric” water heater column:
To the developer:
I think it is a great idea to make a green building. For me, the low maintenance costs, energy star appliances and thermal windows are great selling points. However, here are things that you may want to consider:
- Water heaters in apt: I think most people agree that it is not ideal to have an ugly water heater in the units taking up space that could have been extra closets space. It also makes people wonder whether or not there will be enough water to take simultaneous shows while running the laundry / dishwasher, as mentioned above. Even though you mentioned the water heater should be sufficient for the apartments, it brings up that question – something that people don’t think of as an issue for other apt buildings. And since it is so ugly, maybe it’s just better not to have these individual water heaters in the apartments.
- Electric Stove: I’m not sure why you say electric saves more money than gas. I have never heard that electricity is cheaper than gas. Also, most people dislike cooking with electric stoves. For people who don’t cook much, an electric flat top might be convenient, but people who cook don’t like electric stoves. Gas is much much preferred. And if you don’t have a gas line behind the stove, this is probably a deal killer for many people.
- Electric heater: how is this cheaper to operate than a gas heater? I have never heard anything that supports electric heating as being the cheaper alternative for heating the same amount of space
- Showers: Such a big shower, but no tub and the glass does not enclose the shower. kind of a waste of space if you don’t make it a tub. The master bath is pretty big – I think most people would prefer a tub and a smaller shower. The huge shower seems impractical
- Lack of bathroom storage – Master bath is big, but there is no built in storage due to the pedestal sinks. and the closet in the master bath has the ugly water heater, so you can’t use that for storage. seems like a waste of space in the bathroom.
- Kitchen backsplash – the kitchen backsplash tiles seem weird because they go past the cabinets but not all the way to the end of the wall. they just seem weird
- quartz countertops – i know they are sturdier than granite or marble, but the white quartz just doesn’t seem very attractive to me. maybe another color/pattern that looks more like granite?
- bamboo floors – do people really like these? i personally find them unattractive. bamboo planks have these little black specks at the end of every plank. may just be a preference thing, but i’d rather they imitated hardwood better
-bathroom fixtures: they look really dull and rusty for some reason. don’t know if it is because they are eco-friendly, but they are unattractive.
-gym/children’s playroom – the gym is a good size. most guys i know like having a bench press and free weights in addition to all-in-one machines. kinda weird to have the playroom inside the gym. I for one would not like to hear screaming kids while I workout and would not like having kids accidentally run out of the playroom and into the gym.
These are my thoughts, if you hear similar feedback, that might be something to think about for the next development. The electric stove, water heater and waste of space weird showers are deal killers for me.
Agree with 54, 53 needs to hire an architect and build his own home.
How many mins you takes shower is not my biz. But how about \hot exciting moment\ in the shower then run out of hot water?
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$700/sq ? One Hunters Point just starts at $500/sq now. In the end, who will pay 40% more to just stay outside the city??