Prospect Heights: A quiet and easily accessible nabe

Check out Prospect Heights — the small, easily accessible and family-oriented Brooklyn gem. Photo Credit: iStock

Prospect Heights isn’t the closest Brooklyn neighborhood to Manhattan, but it’s one of the best-served in terms of mass transit.

Nestled between Crown Heights and Park Slope, almost every train line is nearby, which makes commuting to any part of the city a breeze. Among the local transit options are the 2, 3, 4, 5, B, D, N, Q and R at Atlantic Avenue/Barclays Center and the 2, 3, B and Q, which run down Flatbush Avenue on the neighborhood’s western edge. Just outside the nabe, the C and G are only a few blocks to the north and the Franklin Avenue Shuttle is just to the east.

With low buildings and quiet streets, it almost feels removed from the rest of the city, and its proximity to Prospect Park makes it an ideal location for families.

“There’s a lot for kids,” said Johanna Bauman, a resident of 13 years and the co-coordinator of the Prospect Heights Community Farm on Saint Marks Avenue. “I’m sure that some of the childless get a little annoyed with all the kids. There are a lot of strollers going around.” The community farm, which is more of a garden than a farm, offers even more green space outside of the park.

And for grown-ups, the Barclays Center is at the corner of the neighborhood.

Though Prospect Heights is more affordable than Park Slope, it’s not cheap. One-bedroom apartments rent for about $3,000 and two-bedrooms between $4,200 and $4,500, according to David Maundrell, Citi Habitats executive vice president of Brooklyn and Queens new development.

Units for sale average around $1,200 per square foot.

If the area continues to gain popularity though, those prices could rapidly increase even more.

“It is a very small neighborhood, and what could happen to people is it could become very exclusive and expensive really quick,” Maundrell warned.

There aren’t many new apartment buildings in the area — most are brownstones or brick town houses — which adds to the charm.

“Vanderbilt Avenue south of Atlantic Avenue and north of the park has transformed into a small-town U.S.A. street,” Maundrell said. “[It has] really quaint, really cool mom-and-pop restaurants and shops, which is great.”

FIND IT: Prospect Heights stretches north to south from Atlantic Avenue to Eastern Parkway and east to west from Washington Avenue to Flatbush Avenue.

Transportation

Trains:

2, 3 to Eastern Pkwy./Brooklyn Museum, Grand Army Plaza, Bergen St., Atlantic Ave./Barclays Ctr.

4, 5 to Atlantic Ave./Barclays Ctr.

B, Q to Seventh Ave., Atlantic Ave./Barclays Ctr.

D, N, R to Atlantic Ave./Barclays Ctr.

Buses:

B41, B45, B63, B65, B67, B69

Library

BPL at 10 Grand Army Plaza

Post office

USPS at 542 Atlantic Ave.

Crime

Prospect Heights is covered by the 78th Precinct at 65 Sixth Ave. and the 77th Precinct at 127 Utica Ave. The 78th Precinct reported five robberies during the week of Nov. 2-8, according to its CompStat report. It reported nine rapes and zero murders so far this year as of Nov. 8. The 77th Precinct reported three robberies during the week of Nov.2-8 in its CompStat report. It logged 17 rapes and 11 murders so far this year as of Nov. 8.

TO EAT

James

605 Carlton Ave.

For hamburgers, pork chops and other American fare, try this vintage eatery. Jamesrestaurantny.com

Ample Hills Creamery

623 Vanderbilt Ave.

This ice cream shop makes all its treats from scratch. Amplehills.com

Dean Street

755 Dean St.

Along with Southern food like crawfish mac & cheese and shrimp po’boys, this casual corner restaurant hosts comedy nights. Deanstreetbrooklyn.com

TO PARTY

Weather Up

589 Vanderbilt Ave.

An old-fashioned cocktail bar, Weather Up serves classics like the Dark and Stormy and more inventive cocktails like the Idle Hands, a rum and bourbon concoction. Weatherupnyc.com

Soda Bar

629 Vanderbilt Ave.

Once an ice cream parlor, Soda Bar kept the vintage aesthetic, with red leather bar stools and old-school pictures on the walls. It now serves 15 different draft beers and bar foods like fish and chips. 718-230-8393

Woodwork

583 Vanderbilt Ave.

This laid-back soccer bar offers $4 draft beers during its weekday happy hour and has multiple TVs to watch every game. Woodworkbk.com

TO SHOP

Unnameable Books

600 Vanderbilt Ave.

An independent bookstore that buys and sells new and used books. 718-789-1534

Fermented Grapes

651 Vanderbilt Ave.

With wine from around the world and plenty of organic and biodynamic options, this small shop has spirits for all tastes. Fermentedgrapes.net

1 of a Find

633 Vanderbilt Ave.

This vintage shop sells used clothes, shoes and accessories from the early 20th century through the 1990s. 1ofafindnyc.com

TO DO

Brooklyn Museum

200 Eastern Parkway

The city’s second-largest museum has a collection of more than a million works of art. It is currently showing special exhibitions on Francisco Oller and Ai Weiwei. Brooklynmuseum.org

Barclays Center

620 Atlantic Ave.

Brooklyn’s newest indoor arena hosts concerts, hockey and basketball games and other events. Barclayscenter.com

Prospect Park

Eastern Parkway and

Washington Avenue

In addition to its long running trails and huge green fields, Prospect Park is home to the Prospect Park Zoo and the Brooklyn Botanic Garden.

Nycgovparks.org

THE BUZZ

New luxury condos at 280 Saint Marks Ave. went on the market Oct. 27.

The building adds a modern aesthetic to Prospect Heights. Built on the site of an old garage, the five-story, 32-unit structure stands out with a sleek gray exterior peeking between dozens of windows.

Its developer, DNA Development, didn’t want the building to look out of place and tried to honor Brooklyn’s artisan history by using materials sourced from the borough, including the ceramic bricks on the facade, according to a representative.

“We wanted to develop something contextual that fit into the neighborhood and drew from the neighborhood,” said David Berger, a DNA Development partner.

One-bedroom apartments start at $900,000, two-bedrooms at $1.3 million, three-bedrooms at $1.6 million and four-bedrooms at $2.5 million. Each unit includes a private yard, balcony or terrace, and the building has more than 5,000 square feet of communal space.

Q&A with Mike Kennedy: Owner of Cooklyn

With a seasonal New American menu and a wine list featuring small producers from around the world, Cooklyn, at 659 Vanderbilt Ave., is a modern dinner and brunch spot. Owner and partner Mike Kennedy opened the restaurant a year ago.

What’s the idea behind

Cooklyn?

Obviously we put a lot of the branding behind the chef, Anthony Theocaropoulos, who’s also a born-and-bred New Yorker — but also the concept is to really tie in the Brooklyn-based products. We try to feature local products whenever possible.

Why did you open

in Prospect Heights?

It’s rare to say this in Brooklyn, but it’s not a completely underserved market but it’s not an oversaturated market. I really felt like there was a good opportunity there. It was part that but part happenstance — one of the partners owns the bar across the street, so he had an in with the space and the landlord. I got involved because I thought that the neighborhood is so up and coming and diverse and so under the radar still, and for Brooklyn that’s so unique.

What’s your favorite dish

at your eatery?

Our signature dish is the lamb bun. It’s braised lamb, kind of a cross between a Greek gyro and an Asian bao.

REAL ESTATE

To rent

589 Vanderbilt Ave. #3

Two beds, one bath; $2,400/month

536 Bergen St. #5

One bed, one bath; $2,250/month

311 Lincoln Place #A9

One bed, one bath; $2,450/month

To buy

125 Eastern Parkway #2A

One bed, one bath; $355,000

355 Saint Johns Place #1A

One bed, one bath; $599,000

550 Vanderbilt Ave. #524

One bed, 1 1/2 baths; $1,060,000

2015 Prospect heights market data as of NOV. 18

Median sales price:

$815,000

Number of units on market:

316

Median rental price:

$2,750

Number of rentals on market:

1,269