A new report details neighborhoods similar to Williamsburg for area residents looking to move out of the trendy Brooklyn locale before the long-term shutdown for post-Sandy repairs on the L train’s tunnel starts in January 2019. Real estate site StreetEasy has analyzed some of the qualities that make Williamsburg real estate desirable – the median asking rent, the percentage of residents aged 20 to 29, the commute time to Manhattan – and found similar neighborhoods throughout the city for residents looking to move before the L-pocalypse commences. RELATED:Designers propose wild ideas for L train replacement Specifically, StreetEasy determined that the median Williamsburg rent was $3,160 per month, that 20-somethings comprised 22.4 percent of the population, and the commute to Midtown averaged 17 minutes. Other comparable New York neighborhoods were illustrated on a map for residents looking for the same qualities in places less reliant on the L train.
The finalized schedule for the subway work has not been decided, and the MTA was most recently weighing two options: a full closure of the L-train tunnel from January 2019 to July 2020 or partial closures from January 2019 to December 2022,QNS.comreported.
Neither of those options bode well for Williamsburg, whose residents may consider moving to Astoria, Washington Heights or Harlem for similar settings with lower average rents in other boroughs, StreetEast stated. Williamsburg exiles willing to pay similar rents could consider Midtown, Little Italy or the East Village.
RELATED:MTA announces public meetings on upcoming shutdown of L subway line
The StreetEasy analysis suggested that Williamsburg residents could even look in nearby Crown Heights, which in some ways feels like Williamsburg before recent condos, families and tourists became the norm.
During the L train stoppage, officials drafted early plans to help alleviate the service interruption, including increased service on the G line, using shuttle buses to transport riders to the J, M, and Z lines and a possible new ferry link to East 20thStreet in Manhattan, theWall Street Journalreported.
