City Living: Little Italy

By Magdalene Perez, Special to amNewYork | magdalene.perez@am-ny.com

July 12, 2007

Little Italy harks back to a time when grandma lived upstairs, the mozzarella was fresh and the local butcher knew customers on a first-name basis.

That ideal is largely a memory today, but longtime residents still cherish the old-school charm of a neighborhood that's steadily shrinking, first encroached upon by Chinatown and now a new wave of pricey shops, bars and restaurants.

"People still yell out the window to talk to each other," said Doug Sepler, a native New Yorker who's lived in the neighborhood 15 years. "We have a lot of good feelings about being here."

Liquor licenses are hotly debated in the area, where residents want to keep some peace and quiet in the few small streets sandwiched between Lafayette Street and Bowery, below Houston Street.

"Every month we have 15 or 20 new restaurants applying for liquor licenses," said Bob Gormley, district manager for Community Board 2, which covers Greenwich Village and SoHo as well as Little Italy. "It's always a potent issue."

Any reduction in the late-night traffic and drunken cell-phone conversions that bars spawn would be welcome, residents say.

"Sometimes I feel like there's a party that's happening on our own block that we're not invited to," Sepler said.

Real estate Apartments in this once tenement neighborhood can be small, but they're also generally cheaper than in Greenwich Village or SoHo. One-bedroom rentals range from $1,800 to $3,000, according to Caine Mihaeli, a real-estate broker for Mosaic Properties.

"In the West Village, one-bedroom studios are definitely more expensive than in Little Italy," Mihaeli said. "It's not a huge difference, but it's still a few hundred dollars a month."

People are attracted to the low-key feel of the neighborhood, but the buying crowd tends to be young couples and singles rather than families scoping for schools, said Elissa Burke, a real-estate agent for Halstead Property.

"It's just a quieter area than over on the other side of Broadway that's more expensive and flashy," Burke said. "There's a nice neighborly feel."

Apartments for sale average around $900,000 for renovated digs or just above $1 million for a new space, Burke said. They come up for sale rarely, and with prices 20 percent lower than in the Village, it's no surprise they don't stay on the market long.

"When they do come up, they're just really popular," Burke said. "We had a situation where within a couple days a place had about six offers. You've got to be quick."

What's renting Three-bedroom with chef's kitchen, skylights and washer and dryer at Grand and Centre streets: $3,000 per month

Renovated one-bedroom with hardwood floors at Mulberry and Kenmare streets: $1,850 per month

Two-bedroom loft with high ceilings and eat-in kitchen at Mulberry and Broome streets: $3,595 per month

Newly renovated two-bedroom with exposed brick and rooftop garden at Elizabeth and Prince streets: $2,800 per month

Two-bedroom share with full granite kitchen and bathroom: $3,295 per month

What's selling Three-bedroom, two-bathroom duplex penthouse on Mulberry Street, between Grand and Broome streets, with fireplace and 650-square-foot terrace: $2.995 million

Two-bedroom, two-bathroom elevator co-op with original tin ceilings and open island kitchen on Lafayette Street, between Prince and Spring streets: $2.575 million