Oosten, 429 Kent Avenue: Review and Ratings

Review of 429 Kent Avenue by Carter Horsley

This very handsome, 7-story apartment building occupies a full block at 429 Kent Avenue in South Williamsburg and is a very short distance from the Williamsburg Bridge and the East River.  It is also bounded by Wythe Avenue and South 8^th and South 9^th Streets.

It has 216 units and will be completed in 2016 by the XIN Development Group International.

It was designed by Piet Boon of the Netherlands and WASA Studio.

The project is known as Oosten, which means “east.”

Bottom Line

A very impressive md-rise residential project that is very distinguished by its excellent, asymmetric fenestration and grand courtyard, large framing elements, set-back top floor overhangs and rooftop depth-charge containers. 

Description

All units also face on the development’s 13,860-square-foot, landscaped central courtyard.

The building will have a 10,000-square foot community space that is expected to become an art gallery.

The building has magnificent and asymmetric fenestration and an boldly sculpted roofline.

Amenities

The building has a 24-hour concierge, a doorman, a live-in superintendent, a fitness center in the basement with a lap pool and glass folding doors leading to a tiered garden, a children’s playroom, parking, storage, roof deck with a reflecting pool, sidewalk landscaping.

Apartments

Ceiling heights are more than 10 feet.

Apartments have wide plank white oak floors, and oversized, floor-to-ceiling, punched-out, iron trim, energy-efficient windows and limestone or marble baths.

Townhomes and penthouses have Jacuzzis.

Townhouse 17 is a four-bedroom triplex with a two-car garage in the cellar, and a entry foyer on the ground floor that leads into a 26-fooot-long living room net to a29-foot-foot-long dining room with a 13-foot-loong open kitchen, a 9-foot-wide pantry and a 519-square-foot terrace.  The top level has the bedrooms.

A three-bedroom townhouses has a large entry foyer that leads to a 23-foot-long living room, a 29-foot-dining room, a 10-foot-wide chef’s kitchen, a 15-foot-kitchen and a 32-foot-wide garden and a 17-foot-long pool on the lower level and three bedrooms on the upper level.

Apartment D315 is a three-bedroom duplex unit with an entry foyer that leads past a 10-foot-wide, pass-through kitchen next to a 12-foot-wide dining area adjacent to a double-height, 19-foot-long living room on the lower level.

Apartment 541 is a two-bedroom unit with a long entry foyer that leads to a 15-foot-long open kitchen and a 13-foot-long living/dining room with an angled wall.

Apartment 340 is a two-bedroom unit with a long entry foyer that leads to a 9-foot-wide open kitchen with an island and a 19-foot-long, living/dining room with and angled window wall.

A five-bedroom duplex unit has entry foyer that opens onto a 37-foot-long family room with a wet bar and pantry on the lower level and a 22-foot-long living room that opens onto a 28-foot-long dining room, a 53-foot-long terrace with a 19-foot-long pool on the upper level that also has a 16-foot-long kitchen and a 20-foot-long office/bedroom.

Apartment 604 is a two-bedroom unit with an 18-foot-long living/dining room and an enclosed 9-foot-long kitchen.

History

The two-acre site was once part of a Schaefer beer brewery that was closed in 1976.  The North Development Group subsequently purchased the site and poured foundations but defaulted on a loan and Xin brought it and its debt for $54 million in 2012.