Rooftop swimming pools with views, ice baths, and whirlpools are the water-centric amenities that homebuyers have come to expect in many of New York’s luxury properties today — but a handful now own a perk that’s perhaps the most coveted of all: beach access.
Yes, in the heart of the concrete jungle, it really is possible to find beachfront housing, whether man-made or natural, thanks to a number of new developments built on or near the water.
Take The Keller at 150 Barrow, a condo due for completion by the end of this year
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west village The building, with homes starting at $2.59 million, sits along the new Gansevoort Peninsula, a 5.5-acre riverfront park that will house a sandy beach where residents will bask in the sun and take in views of the can enjoy water. Playing volleyball in the sand and renting kayaks are also available. North of the beach, the park will have a lawn and seating area, as well as a large sports field and salt marsh habitat.
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“We knew this park was a work in progress and it was motivation for us to build The Keller here,” said Jared Epstein, a director at Aurora Capital, the building’s developer. “The view and access to the water and beach were a big selling point and primary marketing tool for us.”
Astoria West, a new 534-unit rental development in Queens adjacent to Cove Beach on the East River, is another example. According to Craig Wood, the founder of Cape Advisors, residents, who pay between $3,600 and $7,000 a month, can walk through the building’s back entrance directly onto the sandy beach and often spend all day there during the warmer months, according to the building’s builder .
“You park yourself with umbrellas, chairs and towels and read. Some even take picnic lunches with them,” he said. “Practically every resident appreciates the beach – that’s why they live here.”
Such is the case of Katie Seaman, a tenant at the Astoria West, who is a Mt. Sinai doctor and rents a one-bedroom condo with her husband Tom Metzger and their German shepherd, Jake.
“The view of the beach from our condo is a big draw,” she said. “Jake loves to run around in the sand and we love to sit on the beach and have a bottle of wine. Living in New York it’s cool to be able to say we have access to a beach and it’s certainly not common.”
According to Corcoran real estate agent Mark Martov, this type of exterior access is one of the most desirable features in a New York apartment today.
“It feels like Miami on a nice summer day. It’s this idyllic life,” he said. “Who needs a fancy cold plunge pool when you have the real thing right in your backyard?” Aside from man-made beaches like the one on the Gansevoort Peninsula, Mr. Martov added that New York has long had natural versions of these shorelines. “Developers are finally starting to take advantage of these beaches by building their projects on or near them,” he said.
On the other hand, buyers and renters should be aware that, according to Coldwell Banker Warburg agent Gerard Splendore, life on the beach raises a lot of questions, especially about the water itself.
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“You have to consider whether the water is clean, whether there are concession stands that can lead to litter, whether there are rules and how they are enforced, and who pays for the upkeep,” he said.
For many, however, the benefits outweigh the downsides, Mr. Splendore said. “It’s like you’re always on vacation and you never have to leave where you live,” he said.
Ben Katzenstein, who works in finance and rents at One South First, located in Williamsburg next to Domino Park, knows the feeling. The frequent beach-goer said the upcoming River Ring development next to his building, where a 500-foot stretch of sandy public beach will be the centerpiece, is an incentive for him to continue living where he is.
“I love the beach and I’m so excited to have one coming to my neighborhood,” he said. “That’s what drives my wife and I to settle down here and maybe rent an apartment on the River Ring.”
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One South First developer, Two Trees, is behind the 4-acre waterfront project, which is expected to open its first building and beach in 2028. Next to the beach there will be a park and two towers designed by architect Bjarke Ingels. River Ring prices weren’t released, but studio apartments at One South First cost about $3,300 a month.
David Lombino, a Two Trees executive, said River Ring will provide lounge chairs and umbrellas for renters; You can also rent paddleboards and kayaks, and the sand will be lined with concession stands. “We wanted to give New Yorkers a chance to get really close to the water, and only a beach can do that,” he said.
Though not in New York City, The Beach, an aptly named luxury rental property in Newport, New Jersey, is just a PATH drive away and offers views of Manhattan. Fittingly, it provides access to Newport Green, a 10-acre landscaped park with the only municipal sandy beach on the Hudson River, according to the park’s website. Other Newport Green amenities include outdoor ping-pong tables, a carousel, walking trails and several playgrounds.
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Shawn Murphy, sales manager for a tech company, lives in a one-bedroom house in the building with his wife, Colleen, and said the beach is a convenience they take full advantage of. “There are permanent umbrellas here, and they bring out sun loungers when the weather is nice. Colleen and I go at least once a week in the summer and relax with wine and a picnic,” he said. “The beach was the selling point when we were deciding where to rent and now that we have it I’m not sure how we could ever do without it.”
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