The Plex Flexes its Marketing Muscle

By Jeffrey Steele, Contributing Writer

Williamsburg, N.Y.—When Jessica Peters moved from Manhattan to Brooklyn’s Williamsburg, she couldn’t believe how much square footage she got for her money.

She urged friends who were looking to rent or purchase in Manhattan to check out Williamsburg, and they were amazed, says Peters, a broker-specialist who, with like-titled Stephanie O’Brien, makes up the Peters/O’Brien Group at leasing agent Prudential Douglas Elliman in Brooklyn. Now she is encouraging clients looking in Clinton Hill or Prospect Heights to consider Crown Heights.

Not coincidentally, Peters is representing The Plex, the new seven-story, amenity packed rental building in Brooklyn’s Crown Heights that gets its Grand Opening this Sunday. She believes renters will feel the same level of amazement at the value found in Crown Heights that her friends earlier discovered in Williamsburg.

Crown Heights may be a “pioneer” area, but it and The Plex nevertheless have much to offer, Peters says. From The Plex, it’s a short walk to the 2, 3, 4 and 5 Lines, and nearby Franklin Avenue has many new restaurants and bars. Best of all may be the opportunity to try out this bailiwick as a renter.

While condominium buildings have opened in the Crown Heights area, and product has been moving, “It hasn’t been moving as quickly as developers anticipated,” Peters tells MHN. “There have been price reductions, and there are still units sitting on the market unsold. But [The Plex] is the first luxury product to come to market as a rental in Crown Heights. In the condo market, people have been hesitant to move forward with a purchase. But with The Plex, you’re only committing for a year. There are other rentals in the area anywhere from $50 to $150 less [per month], depending on size. But they’re mainly brownstone, low-rise studios without any amenities.”

At The Plex, studios start at just $1,250 a month, in a property so loaded with amenities it’s something of a miniature community in and of itself, Peters says. The Plex offers onsite parking for an additional $150 a month, a fitness center with private room for personal training and yoga, screening room for movies, full-time concierge, refrigerated storage in the lobby for Fresh Direct, large lounge area with game room, business center, landscaped roof deck, dog run in the rear of the building, and another outdoor seating area.

“People have an opportunity to rent here, and get familiar with the community,” Peters says. “Once they are here, they will find out how easy it is to get around on public transit, and they may want to move in permanently.

“So I think we’ll see a whole slew of people not currently familiar with this neighborhood who will rent and eventually own in this neighborhood. There are a lot of beautiful brownstones and architecture in the area, and as development comes in, we‘ll see a nice combination of old and new.”