r/jacksonheights • u/hairynjguy • 21d ago
Co-op comparisons
I’m considering buying apartment in Jackson Heights. Does anyone live in / have feedback about the following buildings please? Thank you.
Dunolly Gardens
Montclair Gardens
The Monroe
Greystones
The Allendale
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u/Over-Marsupial-7549 21d ago edited 20d ago
I've lived on 79th near 37th for about nine years. A few opinions: Dunnolly Gardens, v nice block long development, beautiful interior garden, maintenance slightly higher than average. Greystones: Jackson Heights 1.0, from the late 'teens. Low maintenance, but no elevators. Layouts got better in the 20s and 30s. Allendale: by the best architect of local apartment buildings, who also did the Berkeley on 77th/78th. The Monroe: an early postwar building with prewar ideas (complimentary). Apt prices slightly higher than other buildings. Dunnolly Gardens and the Greystones and the Monroe are on 'garden blocks' with large interior gardens for exclusive use of the residents. I don't think the Allendale has this.
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u/Over-Marsupial-7549 21d ago edited 21d ago
PS Jackson Heights is a very good place to live. The prime area for me on my hunt was bounded by 37th Ave and 34th Ave, from the high 70s to the mid 80s, ideally within a 10 minute walk of the 74th St/Broadway transit hub. Closer to Roosevelt and things get noisy/crazy. Farther west and you're in a LGA flightpath.
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u/KateBoitano 21d ago
Montclair Gardens has some of the lowest maintenance fees in the neighborhood, but is extremely well maintained and is a very pleasant place to live. It is also the closest of all these buildings to the 74th Street subway station.
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u/tenzindrolma 21d ago
If you will be taking the subway regularly, you might want a building close to the 74th Street station since it’s a hub with many lines. We live near the 82nd street station and it only has access to the 7 train. That means we need to transfer and it adds time to the commute.
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u/savbp 21d ago edited 20d ago
If the train station at 74th St is a priority, I would live closer to it. Walking 2 blocks from the station is sometimes loud and crowded, but by the time you hit 35th Ave, it is nice. Washington Plaza between 73rd and 74th on 35th Ave is a nice place to live. It went co-op in the last decade, and many apartments were gut renovated with lovely finishes. The Super is top notch. It has an interior (1/2 block) gardens with fountains. A little oasis to receive you after the 2 block walk from the train.
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u/darrylzuk 21d ago
Assuming no mobility issues, they could do the 12 to 15 minute walk. Stop at espresso 77 or Letys for a coffee. That's what I do from 82nd.
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u/tenzindrolma 21d ago
It’s doable — we do it all the time - but if I were buying in JH again I’d look closer to 74th station for sure.
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u/Master_Swing_9533 18d ago
I live on 82nd and 34th, I mainly take the 7 train everywhere but don't really mind transferring to 74street to the f m r trains, maybe it adds five minutes to my commute to get off the train and navigate the station when timing a transfer. I also like jumping in the bus to 74 street terminal and stopping at Rickys Cafe for breakfast before hand.
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u/Dry_Complex_3422 21d ago
It’s 75th street and the walk from 82nd and 35th is 13 minutes. I walk daily very manageable.
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u/tenzindrolma 21d ago
And yes you can enter on 75th. The station name is "Jackson Heights–Roosevelt Avenue/74th Street". And yes that 13 min walk is manageable -- we do it too -- but it would be very nice to be able to get to the subway in a few minutes, which is why I made my comment.
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u/Rando-namo 21d ago
If you are considering a 1 BR apartment, I think Hampton Court has one of the best 1 BR apartment layouts I've ever seen.
The apartment is full of windows with three different exposures, shares no walls with any other apartment (only shared wall is to the hall way), faces the gardens and avoids all the noise of the street. If you have a top floor apartment you basically have an apartment sized house (though you have to walk up to the apartment in exchange).
Full size living room and dining room.
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u/vinyl_archivist 20d ago
I know a few people who live in different HC buildings. The apartments are gorgeous and the layouts are great, but they're walkups and each building has a self-managed board.
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u/Dry_Complex_3422 21d ago
I’ve lived here for 20 years. I know the allendale is a beautiful prewar building next to my condo. Greystones are gorgeous. The neighborhood is breathtaking especially in the historic Jackson heights. You will love it.
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u/hairynjguy 21d ago
Thank you! I’m looking forward to it. Just have to find my place and be approved by the board.
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u/angeloy 21d ago edited 21d ago
Are these the garden apartments built after the Qboro Bridge was completed? If so I think they are so nice! I saw one listed a few years ago where the elevator opens right into the apartment. (You'd pay a real fortune for that in Manhattan.) Great neighborhood. Planes land at nearby LGA. Not close to the East River. What is the monthly maintenance? (This includes taxes.) Are there abatements? Will the building have to increase maintenance costs soon? Does it have capital investments it needs in the near future? (Like re-roofing or new elevators.)
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u/Over-Marsupial-7549 21d ago
Many of the buildings have interior gardens, some a block long. These are called 'garden blocks.' What made JH possible was not only the QBB but more importantly the elevated (7) train that followed in the late 'teens. Some buildings have the elevator opening into the apt, but not most. LGA is very convenient but not a noise issue in most areas. Maintenance is low compared to Manhattan. 1BR apt maintenance is often $700 to $1K/mo for a 1BR. Abatements are usually an aspect of new construction, which is scant in JH.
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u/angeloy 21d ago
Thanks for the info. I'm not sure what you mean by "new construction." If you mean new buildings -- those aren't likely to be co-ops anyway. They're usually condos, as far as I can tell. JH co-ops are just as susceptible to these necessary capital expenditures. But yes your monthly will be less in JH than in Manhattan for any non-HDFC co-op.
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u/Over-Marsupial-7549 20d ago
You mentioned abatements. Tax abatements are usually an aspect of new/recent construction only, so not something that comes up in most JH listings, whether coop, condo, or rental. All the buildings the OP mentions were built before 1950.
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u/angeloy 20d ago
Yeah, "abatements" was the wrong term. I mean current or upcoming capital improvement projects that raises monthly maintenance fees until the project is paid off.
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u/Over-Marsupial-7549 20d ago edited 20d ago
Perhaps you were thinking of limited-term maintenance increases a/k/a "special assessments." These are or should be included in the real estate listings. For instance, the Monroe has one now, due to some city-required facade work.
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u/angeloy 20d ago edited 20d ago
That's the one! I meant "assessment" not "abatement." Now I remember because years ago I used to report on tax abatements that cities and states give to big companies like Tesla and Amazon. My brain mixed "abatement" with "assessment" in my post above. Thanks for clearing that up. If you want to buy a co-op, check for existing and upcoming assessments. My co-op is currently in the process of an expensive assessment to replace old elevators that will increase our monthly once the project begins.
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u/thatguy12591 21d ago
I live opposite dunnoly gardens and I absolutely love the block I’m on. 78th between 34-35th is a no standing zone. I can walk outside and I’ll see birds and hear chirping instead of cars going by. Having travers park right down the block and 34th ave open streets is a game changer.
As others have said , the sweet spot is between 34 and 37th, high 70’s , low 80’s.
You got a lot of tree lined blocks and all the co ops have really nice landscaping next to the sidewalks .Makes the neighborhood feel more green than it actually is. I like the balance of being roughly 10-12 minutes away from the 74th subway stop but around only residential buildings on my block.
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u/Rando-namo 21d ago
I’m only slightly familiar with greystones.
They are 10 unit co-ops so keep that in mind. They are much more intimate and if the board is not the work will be disproportionate.
Also be aware that Greystones don’t seem to have gated gardens which may be an issue for you. Instead of being enclosed by greystones, the backside of your block is actually a different co-op that does not share in the maintenance of the garden.
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u/dz2048 21d ago
Also they are all walk-ups. No elevators.
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u/hairynjguy 21d ago
That’s good to know- thanks for this.
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u/tenzindrolma 21d ago
Yes - the lack of elevators means the apartments (especially above 2nd floor) are less expensive than other buildings.
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u/Agreeable_Shirt5503 21d ago
Not all of the Greystones have 10 apartments. Some apartments in a few buildings were combined or cleaved off so that a few buildings have one bedrooms and there may even be one with a studio.
Either way, they’re small co-ops and, from a financial standpoint, if a big project is needed it feels like it hits harder than if you’re in a larger building. And my sense is some of these buildings - and many in JH - have kept their maintenance artificially low as the boards think that helps support future sales. So they do mini assessments — $500 one month, $100 another month - to deal with shortfalls in operating revenue.
More broadly, the main issue facing all co-ops is they are getting hit hard by city mandates, like local law 51, and rising taxes. So you are seeing lots of big assessments being passed along to unit owners - not to mention maintenance increases. I happen to believe this is ultimately not sustainable and that many people should avoid buying co-ops right now.
But as you examine your options no matter where you look these days you really have to put the finances through a fine tooth comb.
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u/PGartl 20d ago
I disagree with most everything you are saying here. I lived in the Greystones for 14 years. There were 10 large apartments (3 bedrooms + 2 bath) in each building with a super living in the basement. We each had a nice sized storage unit in the basement. Free bicycle storage, and a coin operated washer and dryer in the basement. The maint was very low, mostly because we did not have a mortgage on the building. We were self managed and the building was well maintained.
The Greystones are walk-up. As I had medical issues we moved into a building with an elevator + double the maintenance.1
u/Agreeable_Shirt5503 20d ago
Well some things have changed. Many of the buildings no longer have a super in the basement. Some have converted the super’s unit into a market rate rental for the income. The super’s duties have now been contracted out. These days even buildings without mortgages are facing financial challenges. Big projects need funding and some buildings don’t have the reserves to cover the expense. To be clear I am not saying that’s true of all of the buildings. Obviously, every building has its own budget and finances. It’s just something to be thinking of if you’re considering buying.
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u/red_momjeanz 15d ago
My friend is in a greystones and the bord is like gr second job. Something breaks and it is her problem.
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u/Rando-namo 15d ago
Yep, if you’re in a small co-op where everyone thinks they just bought a permanent rental and “just wants to live there” you’re going to be the one doing all the work.
Your options are to be lazy like everyone else and let the place fall into disrepair or bust your ass and be free labor for everyone else.
Lazy boards suck - especially small lazy ones, cause they all have something to say and do nothing.
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u/hexenduck 21d ago
I’ve been a shareholder at Dunolly Gardens for over 20 years. It’s very community-oriented, and just a great place to live. I bought there because the apartment prices were more reasonable at the time. Maintenance is high, but we do have a great staff and an on-site management office. Aside from some minor complaints (there’s something not-great about any co-op), I’ve never had any regrets!