Battery Park City

Demographics: Battery park city (BPC) is home to those households making a median income of $132, 267, which is almost triple that of New York City as a whole: $49, 461 (City Data). 43 percent of BPC residents hold a bachelor’s degree, compared to 20 percent of all of NYC. City Data also reports 20.8 percent of the area’s male residents as working in “business and financial operations occupations,” compared to 5.3 percent of males in NYC. The median age for the neighborhood is 36 years, 2 years older than the median age in NYC.

http://www.city-data.com/neighborhood/Battery-Park-City-New-York-NY.html

Real Estate: The New York Times discusses demographer Susan Weber-Stoger’s findings that the “proportion of families [in BPC] has grown, from just a third of households in 1990 to about half in the years 2008 to 2012” (NYT-Quasi Suburban). The article further describes the area as having “its share of unmarried young residents” working in finance (NYT-Quasi Suburban). The median rent for BPC is $2, 265, compared to $1,063 in NYC (City Data). For a one-bedroom apartment, The New York Times reports the average rental is $3,580 (NYT-Quasi Suburban). Accompanying the influx of residents and apartment complexes is the competition for limited space and The New York Times suggests the population has increased by 72 percent in the last 14 years (NYT-Quasi Suburban). Fitch Ratings suggest the neighborhood will “continue to rely heavily on the financial services,” since many of its both commercial and residential occupants are involved with this industry (Business Wire).

http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20140919005835/en/Fitch-Affirms-Battery-Park-City-Auths-Revenue#.VB1-fytdVX8

http://www.city-data.com/neighborhood/Battery-Park-City-New-York-NY.html

Schools: The New York Times lists Public School 89 as popular among elementary-middle school aged children and Battery Park City School for those in pre-k to middle school (NYT-Quasi Suburban). At Stuyvesant High School, which is popular among high schoolers in the area, students scored higher on the SATs than in other NYC high schools, according to The New York Times (NYT-Quasi Suburban).

Businesses: BPC is home to its fair share of restaurants, including North End Grill, PJ Clarke’s, and 2 West. It also hosts cafes, such as Financier Patisserie and FPB Bakery. The neighborhood offers shopping at Ann Taylor and Banana Republic and numerous other services provided by Four Seasons Dry Cleaners, Blooming Nail & Spa, Battery Park Dental Center, and Cobbler Express Shoe Repair (Battery Park City Restaurants-Shops).
http://www.batteryparkcity.org/Restaurants-Shops.php

Conflicts: By reviewing the meetings of Community Board 1, it becomes apparent the neighborhood is focused on addressing the “businesses [that] are having difficulty receiving funds from Hurricane Sandy, the need for more schools “to address the overcrowding problem,” as well as the increase in affordable housing (Community Board 1). An article in Downtown Express discusses the possibility, however, that some of these apartments would ultimately increase to “market rate” (Downtown Express). BPC also seems to be addressing flooding-related concerns by proposing prevention plans, including levees to help in neighborhoods where “recovery is still incomplete,” according to NY Curbed (NY Curbed). The previously mentioned Business Wire article suggests the storm “does not seem to have affected residential occupancy rates, although it is unclear if the storm has had an impact on the desirability of the commercial space” (Business Wire). After conducting interviews in the neighborhood and reviewing articles, it also seems noise from nearby helicopters, boats, and construction is problematic for some residents and creating conflict in the neighborhood.

http://www.nyc.gov/html/mancb1/downloads/pdf/FBM_Minutes/CB1%20May%202014%20Board%20Minutes.pdf

http://www.baruch.cuny.edu/nycdata/disasters/hurricanes-sandy.html

http://www.downtownexpress.com/2014/09/16/all10-apartments-slated-to-be-affordable-at-fulton-st-site/

http://ny.curbed.com/archives/2014/06/06/levees_could_protect_lower_manhattan_from_future_floods.php