The Sketch Factor
This week's New York magazine examines all things real estate, with a handful of stories focusing on our most beloved obsession. From a feature on new rules for buyers and sellers to a list of smart investing habits, there's a little piece of real estate goodness for everyone.
My little nugget revolves around the "Harlem sketch factor." In a neighborhood-by-neighborhood breakdown, the piece points to the highest recorded sale in the nabe as now $3.8 million, up from $2.6 million a year ago but then goes on to say that:
"The danger here is an oversupply of new construction—much of it, like the Nina on East 117th and the Ivy on Second Avenue, in still-sketchy East Harlem."I looked at the definition of sketchy and found:
Adj. 1. sketchy - giving only major points; lacking completeness; "a sketchy account"; "details of the plan remain sketchy"
Sure, the neighborhood might be lacking in bagels, but there's a Home Depot and a Target in the works... Hmm. Exactly the problem, perhaps? Are these really the retailers that are going to turn Harlem around and make the area less sketch and more "complete?"
posted by Rachel Natalie Klein at 10:05 AM
7 Comments:
we need a home depot like we need more fried chicken restaurants. it's bogus that these are the types of retailers moving in.
There are 5 Mcdonalds on 125th Stret. How sad is that?
I love McDonalds on 125th, just the slowest service in the 5 boroughs
I love home depot! What do you want, Barney's?
This is 'sketchy' used in its surfer-speak sense, i.e., dubious or marginal (sketchy conditions mean it may not be worth getting up to surf in the morning). It's an extension of the definition you cited, but more derogatory.
You want economic development to increase East Harlem community, you have to welcome big box retailers such as these. I live next to the construction at the dead end of 118th & Pleasant and have seen the floor plans and talked to the developers themselves, and truly the best part of this project is the parking lot being built with the mall. This will allow new yorkers from below 110th street to come into the neighborhood and utilize the stores. Hopefully, these stores will help revitalize the community by contributing back to the community, by maintaining the streets and surrounding areas.
It's not about the Home Depots and the Targets. Don't let them usurp the potential of a neighborhood. No matter how "retail" Manhattan seems to get it still retains much of it's nuance and charm. I think that an uptown Target is a great idea, since I like to shop at Target and live in Harlem. But I'm not so crass as to define a neighborhood by it's retail, I prefer to define it by it's people. That's why I live in Harlem. There's so much diversity up here.
Post a Comment
<< Home