Serious apartment envy...and in Battery Park City!

It was surprising but true.  I had apartment envy this week.  I was at the 3-bedroom corner apartment in the Visionaire overlooking Ellis Island and the Status of Liberty that was appointed to perfection, and I wanted to move right in.

I didn't expect it.   Each week, I preview homes and developments to remain educated on the market here in Manhattan.  Often, Metropolitan Residential Partners sponsors a broker tour of a development or a neighborhood as part of our regular sales meetings.  This week, we visited "The Visionaire" in Battery Park City.   It gave me a chance to head south from the West Village and see what one of the latest developments had to offer.

It was somewhere between a dreary rain and sleet.  I was not looking forward to what I thought was going to be a long, cold trek downtown.  So, I bundled up and headed to the 1/2/3 line.  Boy, am I glad that I did.

Read more about my impressions of the Visionaire after the jump

After a surprisingly quick trip down to Rector Street, I walked over to Little West Street to make my way into the building.  The limestone walls and engrained wood flooring gave the lobby a clean, crisp feel.  Soon, it was up the elevator to the sales center.  

First, we learned a bit about Battery Park City and several of the other earlier development in this protected space.   Battery Park City is comprise of 92 acres, of which over 1/3 is parks and recreation and all of which is maintained in a sustainable fashion.  The protections ensure plenty of natural light and green space remain accessible to all residents of the neighborhood.  

Then, the sales team answered our questions about the eco-friendly building features.  One fact stuck fast with me about energy consumption:  A traditional window unit air conditioner pulls 20 amps while the air filtration units (I hope I have that right) at the Visionaire pull only 1.5 amps. For comparison,  a light bulb pulls 2 amps.  That is significant.  

Here's another measure of reduced energy needs:  A normal electricity bill in a 2 bedroom apartment can run $300 /month in the summer (think air conditioning, I know my own was at least that this past summer).  That compares to $75-80 / month owing to all the built-in energy efficiencies.

The Visionaire is an eco-conscious 35-story 251-unit waterfront high-rise building.  It overlooks New York Harbor and has all the amenities expected of a luxury building - including a club room, play room swimming pool, roof deck with cabanas and party space and more.  I loved the sweeping profile that the building presents against the sky.  Note:  this is a picture taken during a more sunny day, but it was pretty awesome even in the grayest of skies.

Each apartment is chok-a-blok with high end features too.  The river-washed granite countertops stood out, even among bamboo cabinets and a Sub-Zero refrigerator.  So did the floor to ceiling windows overlooking the New York Harbor.  

Bottom line:  I saw a perfectly appointed 3 bedroom home that felt as spacious as a free standing home outside Manhattan.  It is bright and airy.  It has great flow.  It maximizes the view (spectacular Hudson and Statue of Liberty views from the east side lines) and the available square footage.  There was plenty of storage, gorgeous and top of the line finishes.  The amenities were amazing to boot.  It changed my mind about Battery Park City.  Anything that can feel that inviting and airy on such a miserable day is a place I could hang my hat.

If you would like to learn more about this or any other property that I might come across during my exploration of West Village, and Manhattan, real estate....please contact me today!