-
-
Ad Space
(728 x 90)
Stats
What you’ll pay: $429,000
What you’ll get: A 1910 five-bedroom house in St. George with original crown moldings, a back garden and a deck
Distance to midtown: 45 minutes to an hour
“DoSI” may not have the familiar ring of Tribeca or Dumbo, but stay tuned: Staten Island’s North Shore is attracting young families lured by inexpensive property (compared with Manhattan and Brooklyn), gorgeous city views and the opportunity to put their own stamp on a developing community. Many choose to live in St. George, the leafy neighborhood closest to the water and the ferry terminal; Tompkinsville is to the south. Together, they form the core of downtown Staten Island.
The area is still a work in progress by some standards. “There’s no Starbucks—yet,” says Leader Properties broker Christopher Burdzy, but the ample housing stock and proximity to the ferry pump up its desirability. “It’s the hub of Staten Island, but it’s still a nice, quiet neighborhood that’s 20 minutes from Manhattan,” says Katarina Lukac, a mother of two (Marina, 18, and Philip, 10) who moved to St. George in 2005. “My daughter takes the ferry to school in Manhattan, my husband drives to work in Queens, and my son goes to school here on the island just ten minutes away.”
Still, the commute is often cited as a concern by those considering a move, as many residents work beyond the island; but things are improving. The St. George Ferry Terminal was renovated in 2005 and the MTA has beefed up the fleets of the local railroad and bus lines. On the downside, the toll for cars crossing westbound on the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge recently rose to $10. Some also complain about the lack of a good supermarket, though Lukac raves about the Greenmarkets—one on Saturdays at Staten Island Borough Hall and a Tuesday market that opened last fall at the ferry terminal.
