Manhattanites Flock to Yorkville’s Family-Friendly Condos

New York, N.Y.--Yorkville is in the midst of change, with new luxury residential developments spearheading its evolution into a community tailored to family life.

By Barbra Murray, Contributing Editor

New York, N.Y.–Newly developed upscale condominiums continue to sprout up all over Manhattan, but such properties designed to accommodate families are hard to find–except in Manhattan’s Yorkville neighborhood on the Upper East Side.

Spanning from the East River to Third Avenue and 96th Street down to the 79th Street area, Yorkville is in the midst of change, with new luxury residential developments spearheading its evolution into a community tailored to meet the basic demands of family life. “Twenty years ago, this was a far different neighborhood; there was no new development. But over the last six years, three new residential buildings have been built in the area,” Douglas MacLaury, senior vice president at The Mattone Group, tells MHN. Mattone partnered with The DeMatteis Group to develop one of those new buildings, Azure.

A 34-story tower carrying the address of 333 East 91st Street, Azure features 128 upscale units and was designed with size in mind. The building debuted with a wide range of floor plans, including residences with as many as four bedrooms in 3,000 square feet of space, as well as two penthouses encompassing 2,500 square feet each. Mattone and DeMatteis are well aware of the growing demand for such spacious accommodations. The partners have customized 14 residences for buyers, increasing the unit sizes to 6,000 square feet, and they anticipate more adaptations in the near future.

The family-friendly environment at Azure extends beyond just elbowroom. “We have a total of 6,300 square feet of amenities, including a children’s playroom, a game room and a lounge, so we have high-end amenities in the building and support services for children and families,” MacLaury says.

In addition to what lies behind Azure’s doors, the property’s location is attracting larger households. “We are near the Asphalt Green Aqua Center, which has one of the largest pools in the city and is frequented by many families, and as you go down 91st Street, there is another icon, Eli’s Vinegar Factory. And on the same street is the Art Farm, where kids are introduced to different pets–it’s a well utilized facility.” The list goes on and on. Elite NYC, which offers a jumping gym and gymnastics and dance classes for kids, is also on 91st Street.

MacLaury adds that Yorkville caters to parents who want to be near some of the top public and private schools, too. “The highest-ranked public school is right next door, and St. Mary’s is going to build a new state-of-the-art center on 95th Street. When private schools build, they build for their constituency. When the seeds begin to grow, they feed on each other.”

Azure is experiencing sales success, drawing in buyers ranging from single professionals to multi-member households despite the fact that the condominium market has yet to fully recover. “We recently closed on 15 units and we’re approaching 35 percent. We expect strong sales to carry into spring 2011.”