Sackett Union Condos, Townhouses Sell Quickly

By Dees Stribling, Contributing Editor

New York—The demand for condos and townhouses in Brooklyn remains brisk, with the developer of Sackett Union, a condo and townhouse project in the Carroll Gardens section of the borough, reporting that the property has fetched record prices for the area. That would be an average of $1,100 per square foot for the condos, and townhouses that have been sold for between $3.6 million and $4 million.

All together the property has 32 condos units, three penthouses and 11 townhomes. According to developer Alchemy Properties, the large two-, three- and four-bedroom units all sold especially quickly. All units sold and closed within six months of project completion early this year; the 32 main condominium units sold out within nine weeks, the three-condo penthouse units sold out in three weeks, and the 11 townhouses sold out in six months.

In 2009, Alchemy took over the project from the former developer, the Clarett Group. Alchemy, along with the project’s architects Rogers Partners, completely reconfigured the development, adding various amenities, features, and finishes. To invoke a house-like feel, the condos use a split-level, interlocking design with master bedrooms on the upper floors.

Townhouses include both one- and two-family units, which have double-height spaces on the garden. Three of the 32 condo units that face Union Street are individually accessed maisonettes that help integrate the condo block with the townhouse street fabric, according to the architect. Each of these units has a 40-foot rear yard located at the ground floor, comprised of concrete pavers and lawn.

Another technique for integrating the building into existing urban fabric of the neighborhood was Rogers Partners’ design of the Court Street elevation to reflect the diversity of window sizes—a mixture of commercial and housing types—seen in adjacent blocks north and south on Court St. Also, the brownstone-hued panels of the lower facade reference the material palette and scale of the neighborhood, while the window glazing on the top two loft floors are set-back to reduce the bulk of the building from the street.