Pacific Park's Plank Road leasing with 2 month free rent; See model units here

By CityRealty Staff | From Brooklyn Wednesday, December 15, 2021

Rendering via Marvel Architects; apartment and amenity images via Brodsky Organization

Mixed-use tower Plank Road was named for a four-mile road formerly located on the site and used by local farmers in the 1800s. It is unlikely those same farmers would recognize the area today; the site, located at 662 Pacific Street, is part of the 17-building Pacific Park master plan set to bring 6,340 units of housing, 247,000 square feet of retail space, 336,000 square feet of commercial space, an eight-acre public park, and a new, 800-seat public middle school to Prospect Heights. The 26-story Plank Road (also known as Pacific Park B15) houses the middle school and a total of 313 apartments. Leasing is underway on the market-rate units, as is an affordable lottery for 94 units.

Current market-rate availabilities start at $3,235/month for studios, $3,425/month for a junior one-bedroom, $3,875/month for true one-bedrooms, and $5,300/month for two-bedrooms. Select units are offering up to two months free rent on a 16-month lease.

Meanwhile, New York households with annual incomes of $53,040-$167,570 are eligible to apply for rent-stabilized studios for $1,547/month, one-bedrooms for $2,273/month, and two-bedrooms for $3,219/month. The deadline to apply is January 18, 2022, and full details and criteria may be found here. If you are not eligible for this lottery, click here to see others you might qualify for.

The school podium from Pacific Street

Lottery criteria via Housing Connect

Model unit photography via Colin Miller

Market-rate and affordable apartments alike offer 39 unique floor plans to accommodate various families and lifestyles. As newly revealed model units show, all units feature floor-to-ceiling windows, airy living space, ivory oak hardwood flooring, and in-unit washer/dryers. The kitchens come with ample counter space, custom cabinetry, and premium built-in appliances. Baths have recessed lighting, marble tile walls and mosaic flooring, and full-height medicine cabinets.

A well-thought lifestyle begins on the ground floor of Plank Road with an attended lobby, concierge service, mail room, bike room, and laundry room. The 18th floor lounge opens up to a landscaped terrace with grilling stations, dining tables, green space, and a 7,000-square-foot outdoor pool with lounge areas. Amenities in between include a children’s playroom and fitness center. Moreover, Plank Road is part of developer Brodsky Organization's Brodsky Neighbors program, which offers special programs, discounts, and offers with local businesses. In the case of Plank Road, these would include Alta Calidad, Ample Hills Creamery, Mile End Deli, and the Brooklyn Running Company.

The apartments begin on the sixth floor, above the 100,000-square-foot school that will be known as M.S. One Brooklyn (officially I.S. 653) and occupy the first five floors above ground and two floors below. A Brooklyn Eagle story says that the expected occupancy date for the middle school is September 2023. It is implied that the elongated timeline is due to the logistics of the School Construction Authority working with a private developer. "When the authority builds a stand-alone school, it has more control over the completion date," said Tamar Smith, a community liaison for the New York City School Construction Authority.

Residential entrance at the corner of Dean and 6th Avenue

Designer Marvel Architects notes that classrooms will have large windows and the exterior will mimic the civic buildings nearby. In unique New York fashion, the school will have an elevated play yard terrace on a fourth-floor setback and a small outdoor playground at street level. With a focus on the arts, culture, and STEM sectors, the school's academic spaces will include an art room, music room, library, science labs, and project rooms. There will also be two gymnasiums and a cafeteria.

"Plank Road holds the corner of an established residential block and we took inspiration from the fabric of brownstone Brooklyn and its history to inform the building’s design" - Jonathan Marvel, Founding Principal, Marvel Architects

Plank Road is the only in the Pacific Park plan to share its block with pre-existing rowhouses and pre-war buildings. According to the architects, the building is designed to "function both as a gateway to the residential neighborhood’s dynamic new era and as an extension of brownstone Brooklyn." The site is very close to the Barclays Center, Atlantic Terminal, the NYPD’s 78th Precinct Station, and the FDNY Engine 219/Ladder 105 firehouse; and the decision to be the location of a new school has generated some controversy.

The northern elevation of the tower from Sixth Avenue

CityRealty listings show that Plank Road rents are well above the Prospect Heights median, which ranges from $2,700/month for studios to $4,200/month for two-beds. It is important to note that rentals like Plank Road are few and far between in Prospect Heights, but that will change as the Pacific Park mega-development further takes shape. The 51-story Brooklyn Crossing is the tallest tower in the master plan, and is set to bring 858 units (280 of which will be affordable) to the neighborhood with an estimated completion date of 2022. Permits were filed for a pair of buildings at 595 and 615 Dean Street in October 2019, and construction is now underway.

The heavyweight residential landlord Brodsky acquired the development lease at 664 Pacific Street from Greenland Forest City in September 2017. This is their first ground-up foray in Brooklyn but the firm manages 7 Dekalb and City Tower in the City Point development nearby. Their Manhattan endeavors include Enclave at the Cathedral, One Columbus Place, and West End Towers.