This is Brooklyn? A waterfront suburban neighborhood redefines what it means to live in New York City. Mill Basin, a small community located on a peninsula facing Jamaica Bay, started life as mostly single-family residences in the 1960s.
The area today appeals to buyers who crave a waterfront location close to Manhattan, without feeling confined by skyscrapers and tightly-packed brownstones. Mill Basin pulls off the trick nicely – if you didn’t know better, you might think you were in Miami.
A true rarity of waterfront living in NYC. (Elegran)
Over the past few decades, buyers have been snapping up properties and tearing down or rebuilding the original homes, making way for what have become some of the most prestigious homes around.
The house at 2626 National Drive, for example, was completely rebuilt in 2006. The Italianesque residence with seven bedrooms and a boat dock takes full advantage of the more than 1,300sqm (14,000sqft) corner lot. Most waterfront properties in the neighborhood are long and narrow.
Interiors are Italianate, in both style and scale. (Elegran)
It’s currently on the market for $6,318,000.
“You are right on the ocean,” says Jared Antin, managing director of Elegran Real Estate. “You can reach Manhattan by boat in 25 minutes. It would be a substantially easier commute to take a boat or JetSki to the city than to drive.” That means you can go water-skiing or tubing right outside your backdoor.
Modern amenities disappear into ornate classicism. (Elegran)
The dock has enough room for a boat as well as personal watercraft devices. The backyard faces the water and has a salt-water pool with mosaic tiles for swimming and lots of lounging space. An outdoor kitchen with a wood-burning pizza oven and dining area creates space for entertaining.
Inside, the marble in the foyer and primary bathroom, solid mahogany woodwork throughout, custom hardware finishes and high ceilings with crown molding makes the home feel ornate and plush, Antin says.
Elaborate detailing for grand living spaces. (Elegran)
The main level holds the primary suite, which has its own balcony with waterfront views, a gourmet kitchen and dining room. The lower level has a separate entrance with two bedrooms (could be used for staff), custom wine cellar and a living room with a fireplace.
Prospective buyers may be someone from the neighborhood who appreciates the large lot or, more likely, someone who wants to be in New York but may not like the vertical living in the city.
The Atlantic Ocean awaits. (Elegran)
Mill Basin started out as a quiet Brooklyn neighborhood with single- and two-story dwellings. Today there are around 1,000 homes, with about 200 facing the water. Some people choose to live there year-round while others take up summer residence as a respite from Manhattan, instead of heading to the Hamptons on the east end of Long Island.
Jared Antin of Elegran is the listing agent for the Mill Basin property.
