280 Saint Marks Avenue
280 Saint Marks Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11238
BBL 3011527507 · BIN 3424489
- Year built
- 2016
- Type
- Condominium
- Units
- 31
- Floors
- 5
- Landmark
- No
Every recorded sale at this building, 2017–2026
Price-per-square-foot over time, the line- and floor-premium curves, and every recorded sale.
- Median $/sf
- $1,854
- Listing discount
- 0.0%
- Recorded sales
- 53
- On record
- 2017–2026
The first thing to establish about this building is where the Prospect Heights Historic District stops, because the answer is unusual and it governs everything an owner can do to the exterior.
Tax block 1152 is split. The Landmarks Preservation Commission's designated-building records place 43 buildings on this block inside the Prospect Heights Historic District — the entire Prospect Place row from 233 through 309, and the Vanderbilt Avenue row from 625 through 643. Not one of them is on Saint Marks Avenue. The district boundary runs through the interior of the block, along the rear lot lines of the Prospect Place houses, and every Saint Marks Avenue and Underhill Avenue lot on the block, including 280, sits outside it. Three independent records agree: PLUTO carries no historic-district value for the lot, the LPC building database has no entry for it, and a boundary test of the Commission's own district geometry places the parcel outside the line while placing its Prospect Place neighbours inside. Exterior alterations here do not require a Certificate of Appropriateness from Landmarks. That is a real and permanent advantage over the brownstones one hundred feet to the south, and it is also why a 48,000-square-foot contemporary building could be built on this block at all.
The site itself explains the building's proportions. DNA Development assembled a 154-foot-wide, 131-foot-deep parcel in late 2014 — an enormous lot by Prospect Heights standards, occupied at the time by a one-story garage that had been fitted with automotive lifts in 2000 and was demolished under a December 2014 permit. R6B zoning caps the height at row-house scale, so the only way to build volume was outward and backward. DXA studio's response was to hold five stories and push the plan 130 feet deep, which puts two and three windows of southern exposure on most residences, and to break the long Saint Marks frontage into angled bays rather than presenting a flat 154-foot wall. The partitions between the front terraces are canted for the same reason. The result reads as a serrated masonry edge rather than a slab, and the material carries it: roughly sixteen thousand handmade Kolumba bricks from the Danish maker Petersen, long, thin, and irregular in fired tone.
The third thing worth understanding is the tax position, because it is the most consequential number in any underwriting model here. Department of Finance exemption records show all 31 unit lots carrying a 15-year 421-a exemption that commenced in 2020 and runs to 2035. The exempt value on the roll has grown every year since — from roughly $2.8 million across the building in 2021 to roughly $3.4 million on the 2027 roll, against a total assessed value of about $5.7 million — which is what a benefit still in its full-exemption phase looks like. It will not stay there. A 15-year 421-a steps down in its final years, and the plan said so plainly. A buyer in 2026 is buying roughly nine years of remaining benefit on a declining schedule, and the fully assessed tax line is the one that determines what this apartment costs to hold in 2036.
There is one more piece of the 421-a story that is specific to this building and worth knowing. The plan discloses that the sponsor satisfied the program's affordable-housing requirement not by building affordable units on site but by purchasing negotiable 421-a certificates issued by HPD — the mechanism available to Brooklyn projects of that era — and that the units were exempted from rent-stabilization registration by reason of the building's condominium status. Nothing about the exemption is unusual; the point is that the obligation was discharged with certificates rather than with on-site units, which is a question buyers' attorneys ask and which the plan answers directly.
Architecture and unit composition
The condominium occupies a single merged tax lot mid-block on the north side of Saint Marks Avenue. Five stories rise above a cellar that holds the garage, the fitness center and the laundry room. PLUTO records 48,280 square feet of above-grade floor area against a built FAR of 2.12 on an R6B lot with a residential FAR of 2.00 — the excess reflecting the qualifying ground-floor and cellar areas rather than an overbuild.
The stack is unusual for a Brooklyn condominium of this size in that it begins with townhouse-style residences at grade, entered directly off Saint Marks Avenue under the angled terrace partitions, before shifting to floor-numbered apartments above and a penthouse line at the top. Interiors were delivered in oak with walnut accents, Olympian Danby stone counters, custom kitchen pendants, and a lobby chandelier by lighting designer David Weeks. Every residence has private outdoor space, which on a five-story building of this footprint means terraces cut into the front elevation rather than a handful of penthouse decks.
One point of arithmetic to carry into diligence. The plan offered 32 units; the building as recorded holds 31 unit lots. The most likely explanation is a combination during the sellout, which is common and unremarkable, but it means a buyer should confirm the current common-interest schedule against the recorded declaration and any amendment rather than against the plan's original Schedule A.
Building operations
The service model is boutique rather than full-service, and the plan describes it precisely: a lobby with an attendant's desk, not a 24-hour doormanned lobby. Confirm current staffing and hours with the managing agent — the offering plan documents the desk, not a schedule, and the schedule is what a buyer actually experiences.
The amenity set is deep for 31 apartments and, unusually, is spread across the building rather than stacked in the cellar. The ground floor carries the lobby, its two package rooms (one refrigerated for grocery deliveries), the bicycle room and the community room with its pantry, which opens onto the landscaped common backyard with a water feature and a gas grill. The children's playroom sits on the second floor directly above the lobby. The fitness center and the resident laundry room are in the cellar alongside the parking garage.
Parking and storage are licensed rather than owned, and that distinction has consequences at resale: a Storage License must be sold to the purchaser of the apartment or to another unit owner, and it does not trade independently on the open market. Confirm whether a particular apartment carries a parking or storage license, whether that license is restricted or unrestricted, and what the current monthly license fee is, before pricing either as a deeded asset.
Two capital items appear in the Department of Buildings record and belong in any diligence file. In 2023 the condominium filed a $400,000 alteration for the improvement and upgrade of the existing storm system, together with gas-line repair and related storm-system fixtures. In 2024 a separate filing covered restorative construction to address flood damage, including partitions, ceilings, flooring, fixtures, finishes and waterproofing, interior and exterior. Both are documented, both were carried through to permit, and a buyer should ask the managing agent directly what caused the water event, what has been remediated, whether any assessment funded it, and what the condominium's current insurance position is.
Policy framework
Purchaser review: Condominium mechanics — a board right of first refusal rather than cooperative-style approval. Closing timelines of 30 to 45 days are typical.
Property taxes: A 15-year 421-a exemption, exemption code 5118, benefit start 2020, running through the 2035 roll on all 31 unit lots. The exemption declines progressively in its final years. Model the fully assessed figure, not the current bill.
Parking and storage: Licensed, not deeded. Storage Licenses are transferable only to unit owners. Parking spaces divide between restricted and unrestricted licenses under the plan; the ADA-accessible spaces are general common elements available on terms the Board sets.
Flip tax / transfer fee: None is disclosed in the offering plan or the amendments on file. Move-in, move-out and lease-review fees are set by the Board; confirm the current schedule and any live assessment at offer stage.
Pets, subletting and pied-à-terre: The house rules governing pets and leasing are not fully captured in the plan record on file, and this page will not assert what it cannot document. As a New York condominium, pied-à-terre ownership and leasing are permitted in principle, subject to the Board's right of first refusal and to any minimum-lease-term rule in the current house rules. Confirm all three with the managing agent before making an offer that depends on them.
Local Law 97
- 2024–2029 annual penalty
- $0 (under cap)
- 2030–2034 annual penalty
- $0 (under cap)
- Per unit / month range
- —
Source: NYC LL84 benchmarking and PLUTO · The Roebling Research Library. City record last verified September 2026.
See full Local Law 97 analysis — emissions history, scenarios, methodology →421-a Tax Abatement
- Benefit end year
- 2035
- Years remaining
- ~9 yrs
- Program
- 421-a (15-year)
A long-dated tax benefit still in place — a meaningful carrying-cost advantage today. Note the eventual step-up toward full taxes when the abatement ends.
Source: NYC Dept. of Finance property-tax exemption records (421-a), refreshed 2026-09-06 · The Roebling Research Library. Confirm the exact step-up schedule on the building’s DOF tax bill.
Recent sales
280 Saint Marks trades as a Prospect Heights new-development condominium with a boutique unit count, an architect-signed exterior, private outdoor space in every residence, and — for now — a tax line flattered by an active abatement. It prices in dollars per square foot against the neighbourhood's 2015-and-later condominium tier rather than against the brownstone-belt cooperative market, which trades on room count and original detail.
Pricing is line-specific rather than building-wide. The townhouse residences at grade, the terraced front-facing lines and the penthouse level are three different assets, and comparables must match on floor, exposure and outdoor space before they mean anything. Two variables that a sophisticated buyer will underwrite in 2026 and that a seller should be ready to discuss are the remaining runway on the 421-a and the 2023–2024 storm and flood-remediation work in the Buildings record. Indexed to 2025, the last complete year, this remains one of the better-built small condominiums in the neighbourhood; the negotiation happens on the tax schedule and the capital file, not on the finish level. Unit-level transaction history is maintained in The Roebling Research Library and shared with clients during diligence.
Recent closings at this building, curated by The Roebling Team research desk. Prices are the transfer amounts recorded with the NYC Department of Finance; apartment-level detail is checked against the building’s own file in The Roebling Research Library before publishing.
| Date | Unit | Apartment | Price | PPSF | vs. Ask |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 17, 2026 | PHG | 2 BR · 2 BA · 1,321 sf | $3,250,000 | $2,460/sf | +18.2% |
| Jun 26, 2026 | 3C | 2 BR · 2 BA · 1,059 sf | $1,725,000 | $1,629/sf | off-mkt |
| May 12, 2026 | THB | 3 BR · 3 BA · 1,461 sf | $2,400,000 | $1,643/sf | +4.3% |
| Mar 20, 2026 | 4F | 3 BR · 2.5 BA · 1,777 sf | $3,695,000 | $2,079/sf | +5.7% |
| Dec 15, 2025 | 4B | 2 BR · 2 BA · 1,072 sf | $1,675,000 | $1,563/sf | -1.2% |
| Sep 18, 2025 | THF | 4 BR · 2,475 sf | $4,999,169 | $2,020/sf | off-mkt |
| May 20, 2025 | THE | 4 BR · 3 BA · 1,857 sf | $4,000,000 | $2,154/sf | +5.3% |
| Oct 7, 2024 | 3E | 3 BR · 2.5 BA · 1,635 sf | $2,899,000 | $1,773/sf | +0.0% |
Market read. Most recent trades (2026) cleared a median $1,854/sf across 2 sales. Median listing discount 0.0% from the last ask.
The retrade record
Lines that have traded more than once in the public record — the building’s appreciation arc, apartment by apartment.
Full closing history with price-per-square-foot over time, the complete retrade record, and every line that has traded.
Sales sourced from NYC Department of Finance recorded transfers (BBL 3-01152-7507) and verified listing data. Apartment-level facts (line, condition, asking-price context) curated and cross-verified by The Roebling Team research desk. Not all transactions cross-verify with ACRIS records — sponsor and LLC purchases sometimes record at stipulated values rather than market price; square footage from recorded condo declarations and offering plans.
What to know if you’re buying
The lot is outside the historic district, and that cuts both ways. No Certificate of Appropriateness is required for exterior work here. Equally, the district's protections do not extend to this side of the block, and what gets built on the neighbouring Saint Marks and Underhill lots is governed by R6B zoning alone.
Underwrite the 2035 tax line, not the 2026 one. Nine years of a declining 15-year benefit is a materially different asset from a fully abated one. Run the fully assessed number through a carrying-cost model before you set your price.
Ask about the water. The 2023 storm-system upgrade and the 2024 flood-damage restoration are in the public record. Get the board's account, the engineer's report if one exists, the remediation scope, and whether any of it was assessed.
Confirm whether parking and storage come with the apartment. They are licenses, not deeded units, and they behave differently at resale. Get the license, the fee and the restriction status in writing.
Verify the house rules yourself. Pets, minimum lease terms and sublet review are the three that most often decide a deal here, and they are the three the plan record on file does not settle.
What to know if you’re selling
Lead with the district line. Most buyers assume a Prospect Heights address means Landmarks review. Being able to say, precisely and with the record behind it, that this lot sits outside the district is a genuine differentiator against the brownstone inventory a block away.
Sell the architecture on specifics. Handmade Petersen Kolumba brick, an angled five-story frontage broken into bays, a 130-foot-deep plan built for southern light, private outdoor space in every home. That is a stronger story than an amenity list, and the amenity list is strong.
Get ahead of the tax question. A buyer's attorney will find the 421-a schedule. Presenting the benefit start, the term and the step-down yourself produces a better outcome than having it discovered in week three.
Anchor to matched lines. Townhouse, mid-floor terraced and penthouse comparables are not interchangeable. Same-line and same-exposure sales from 2025 forward, adjusted for remaining abatement, are the defensible anchors.
Condominium mechanics are a timeline advantage. Right of first refusal, no board interview, 30-to-45-day closings — worth stating explicitly to buyers who are also looking at the neighbourhood's prewar cooperatives.
Comparable buildings
If you're considering 280 Saint Marks Avenue, also evaluate:
- 856 Washington Avenue — the closest peer in scale and vintage: a 26-unit Prospect Heights condominium delivered a year later
- 550 Vanderbilt Avenue — the neighbourhood's full-service reference condominium, and the abatement comparison a buyer will make
- The Washington (35 Underhill Avenue) — the mid-2000s courtyard condominium a block away; the older Prospect Heights alternative
- 1 Grand Army Plaza (Richard Meier on Prospect Park) — the other architect-signed condominium in the neighbourhood, at the park's gate
- 700 Pacific Street (Newswalk) — the loft-conversion alternative for buyers who want scale and ceiling height instead of new construction
- 509 Pacific Street (The Hendrik) — boutique Boerum Hill condominium of comparable size and delivery era
- 41 Eastern Parkway — the prewar cooperative comparison, for buyers weighing tenure as much as building
How to read the facts on this page. Items attributed to an offering plan describe the building as it was offered at that filing — unit mix, square footage, the amenity program as planned. They are not a statement about how the building operates today. Tax and compliance figures are sourced separately to current City records and carry their own dates. House rules, staffing and fee policy can change by board resolution without any public filing: treat every policy line here as a starting point for diligence and confirm it with the managing agent.
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