The very attractive Sedona residential condominium building at 346 East 119th Street in East Harlem opened last August and is now two-thirds sold, according to an July 14, 2011 article by Liana Grey in Real Estate Weekly.

The site was formerly occupied by a one-story bus garage and "rather than resist gentrification, long-term residents of the block were pleased when Ruthann Richert began demolishing the garage," the article said.

"The garage dumped oil on the street, and there were buses constantly moving in and out," the Harlem-based developer, who has renovated a handful of brownstones in northern Manhattan, told Real Estate Weekly, adding "it was an eyesore."

The 6-story building has six condominium apartments and was designed by Frank Denner Architects.

Ms. Richert's timing was "perfect," the article continued, adding that "East River Plaza, a mall with a Target, Costco, and other big box retailers, had recently opened along the neighborhood's eastern edge. And as foot traffic in the area increased, restaurants, liquor stores, and clothing shops began cropping up along First Avenue."

"Street-facing units have tasteful Juliette balconies, and the redbrick exterior blends with neighboring buildings. Rather than construct a flashy lobby guarded by a doorman, Richert installed a private elevator accessible by key; smart panels in each unit come equipped with a video system that monitors the sidewalk and elevator. A live-in super provides an additional set of eyes," the article said.

"Stephan Wolman, a recent buyer, moved from Union Square, where he manages an Italian restaurant. Looking to save money, and escape the frenetic pace of life in lower Manhattan, he closed on the Sedona's duplex penthouse for $495,000 two months ago," the article said.

"On his way to the 6 train each morning," the article continued, "Wolman marvels at the neighborhood's greenery: as part of a city program, there are roughly 30 community gardens in East Harlem, some sponsored by corporations like Home Depot and Target. Running trails line the East River, and Thomas Jefferson Park, just east of First Avenue between 111th and 114th Streets, has a baseball field and lawns. 'You can hear the birds,' Wolman said."

Some Sedona residents stash extra groceries and toiletries in basement storage space, one of several amenities offered at the building, including a first-floor fitness center and some outdoor space.

With its graffiti-covered buildings, storage facilities, and clusters of low-income housing towers, East Harlem may look gritty, the article noted, "but a drop in crime over the last few decades and new zoning laws, which allow high-rise development north of 99th Street and east of Lexington Avenue, suggest otherwise."

One of the largest rezoning campaigns in the area since the early 1960s, "it encourages ground floor retail, more commercial zoning," said Asher Alcobi, a broker at Peter Ashe Realty, which has marketed several properties in East Harlem. Ten new residential buildings, five of them rentals, have sprouted in the neighborhood in recent years," the article said, adding that Archstone is planning a new mixed-use complex slated to contain 1.7 million s/f of retail, cultural, and residential space is in the planning stages. If the project is approved, it'll occupy a site stretching from 125th to 127th Street, between Second and Third Avenue. "The first phase, with 49 housing units and 5,600 s/f of retail should be complete next summer," said Faith Hope Consolo, chair of the retail division of Prudential Douglas Elliman, noting that the entire development could be up and running by 2018.

Down the block from the Sedona, Hunter College opened a new facility for its graduate social work program. "Academic institutes give a green light to a neighborhood," said David Daniels, the Corcoran broker who handles the Sedona: "They're a great anchor," drawing the kind of crowd eager to frequent local restaurants and boutiques.