MANHATTAN — With the weather warming up (and the subways getting crowded) it's the ideal time to don your helmet and take advantage of New York's bike lanes. Owning a bike in New York comes with its challenges, but here are three buildings that offer bike rooms and are located close to bicycling destinations.
860 W. 181st St., #55, Hudson Heights
One bedroom/One bath
Approximately 600 square feet
Co-op
$399,000
Maintenance: $682 a month
Open House: Sunday, June 19, 1:30 to 3:30 p.m.
Lowdown: Corcoran broker Paul Chapru called this co-op complex “a good bike building... it's full of cyclists.” Each of the two buildings hold bike rooms in the basement.
The one-bedroom apartment also has two closets, one in the hallway and a walk-in in the bedroom, large enough to fit a bicycle, he said.
The sellers own this apartment as well as the two-bedroom unit next door. They planned to combine both units but had to move out of New York. That unit has hit the market for $675,000 so a buyer could potentially purchase both and design their own three-bedroom apartment.
Although the owners never combined the apartments, they renovated the pass-through kitchen in the one-bedroom unit with wood cabinets and a built-in breakfast bar.
The building is set off from the street, so the fifth-floor apartment looks directly over the building's courtyard and toward Cabrini Blvd. The common courtyard, which is shaded by a large tree, is tended by a horticulturalist who lives in the building.
“She started planting about two years ago and it's just starting to take off,” Chapru said.
Location: Residents can hop on a bike and quickly enter Fort Washington Park, which connects to the Hudson River Greenway. Residents commonly commute by bicycle to downtown Manhattan, Chapru noted. They can also cross the George Washington Bridge to bike through New Jersey or upstate New York. The closest subway station is the A train at 175th Street and the 1 train at 181st Street.
Why put it on your open house calendar? “It's about community... everybody takes care of each other here,” Chapru said.
245 E. 72nd St., #5E, Upper East Side
One bedroom/One bath
Approximately 650 square feet
Co-op
$615,000
Maintenance: $1,452 a month
Open House: Sunday, June 19, 12 to 2 p.m.
Lowdown: This co-op has a bike room in the basement. From its entrance on 72nd Street, bikers have direct access to the 72nd Street entrance of Central Park, just about a five minute ride away.
The broker representing this listing, Jessica Silver of CORE, has lived in the prewar co-op for 13 years. She called this unit “a typical one bedroom in an Upper East Side prewar building. It's not huge, but it's big enough for first-time buyers.”
One thing that distinguishes this unit from other one bedrooms on the market is the long foyer. It leads to an arched entryway which opens into the living and dining area.
“A lot of one bedrooms you see, you walk straight into the living room,” Silver said. “The foyer gives you the feeling of entry.”
The previous owner renovated the bathroom but the kitchen “is not high end... it's a sponsor renovation,” according to Silver. A window in the kitchen, however, brings plenty of natural light.
The fifth floor apartment looks toward the building's garden, which has not been in use due to the Second Avenue Subway construction nearby. “When the subway is open, the garden will be fixed up,” Silver said.
Location: This building is located right next to the Second Avenue Subway stop anticipated to open this year. (“We're praying that it will!” said Silver.) For now, the closest subway is five blocks away, the 6 train at 68th St./Hunter College.
Why put it on your open house calendar? Silver cited the prewar charm of the unit, its “homey feel,” and its spaciousness. “It can fit a lot of furniture,” she said. “We staged the apartment to show that.”
214 N. 11th St., #1P, Williamsburg
Two bedrooms/One bath
Approximately 1,258 square feet
Condo
$1.15M
Common Charges: $765 a month
Taxes: $45 a month
Open House: Sunday, June 19, 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Lowdown: What some may consider downsides to this apartment may be convenient to a bicyclist. This duplex takes up the first and cellar floor. The building's bike room is also in the cellar.
“There are doors on both levels [of the apartment],” said Compass broker Jon Capobianco. “You can easily wheel a bike in and out of that area in the cellar.”
The current owners, who bought this unit soon after the 120-unit development opened in 2009, use the lower level as a living room. Many condo owners, Capobianco said, configure it as a second bedroom.
While the upper level faces the street, “there's a knee-high fence in front of the window that serves as a buffer,” Capobianco said. “It's a very quiet street.”
The ground-floor and below-grade location means this unit is priced lower than others in the building. “Apartments are selling at about $1,200 per square foot, we're offering a nice discount by pricing it under $1,000 per square foot,” Capobianco said.
Although the owners haven't made any major changes to the modern interior, “they've kept it meticulous,” Capobianco said. “It's a warm space in very nice condition.”
Location: Upon leaving the building, bicyclists can ride right up to McCarren Park, just one block away, or five blocks east to the popular Kent Avenue bike lane. The Bedford Avenue L train is just four blocks away. When the L train shutdown arrives, the closest subways will be the G train at Metropolitan and Nassau Aves.
Why put it on your open house calendar? “Space, value and location,” Capobianco said.