Dorian Geiger/NY Post
Baby-toting couples, begone.
A developer in Brooklyn is building a luxe paradise for childless couples in family-friendly Park Slope featuring amenities like a Pilates studio, rooftop pool and dog spa.
The 13-story hi-rise at 655 Union St. is the first of its kind in Brooklyn being marketed to DINKs – dual income no kids in their 20s and 30s who are, like many others, holding off on a visit from the stork.
“The demographics are becoming clearer: if you look at the average age of when people are starting to have children, that particularly in places like New York, that age has been pushed back over time,” said Brian Ezra, founding partner at Avery Hall, the building’s developer.
The national fertility rate has dropped to a historic low, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, with births falling 3% from 2022.
“We’ve tried to design the amenities and the services for this more mature renter … they are going to appreciate the things we’re offering, in particular a big focus on health and wellness, which we believe speaks more to a mature kind of resident – not necessarily partying all night,” Ezra said.
The new construction, which is set to open by mid-January, features large one- and two-bedroom units up to mid-$5,000s and mid-$8,000s, respectively – with ample space that “doesn’t feel like a cookie cutter box,” Ezra added. Notably for those expecting a large brood, the building has no 3-bedroom units.
Amenities include a rooftop pool with social programming like happy hours, workout classes, DJ performances, plus a Pilates studio with reformers, Peloton bike gym, dog spa and concierge service to book reservations, cleanings and dog walkers.
Noticeably missing is a playground or children’s room, which can be seen in some other luxury residential buildings in the borough — and the extra amenity space can instead be multi-purpose, according to real estate agent Kirsten Jordan.
“If you look at specifically at some of these more high-end buildings . . . with expensive, large units, they’re doing some more creative stuff, where it’s not necessarily having a children’s playroom,” Jordan told The Post. “They’re trying to gear it towards other things.
“In a lot of cases, kids grow out of these children’s playrooms very quickly,” Jordan added, “and they didn’t prioritize enough space for teenagers, for those working from home, for conference calls, for the podcast room, for the music room, for the lounge. That’s an issue.”
Some Park Slope residents told The Post that they enjoy the neighborhood’s family-rich atmosphere, and would be hesitant to consider a building geared towards one specific kind of couple.
“I like seeing kids around,” said Park Slope resident Margo McCoy, 24, whilst on a date at Kick Axe throwing with her boyfriend of one year, Charles Guglielmo. “It makes it feel more like home. I have kids in my building and I love it.”
Guglielmo, a former kindergarten teacher who told The Post he “loves working with kids” — and hopes to be a father one day — echoed the sentiment.
“I just feel like it would take a certain kind of person to live there, you know?” the 24-year-old said. “I don’t know if I’d go out of my way to avoid children. It feels a bit excessive.”
“That’s very lame,” snarled Brooklyn mother, Laura, without pause, as she pedaled through an intersection past the Union Street building on a bicycle with two young children on the back.
Kick Axe bartender, Sarah Kylan, 27, was both intrigued and skeptical of the DINKs concept at 655 Union St.
“What if you get pregnant, are they going to make you move out?” she quipped.
Ezra noted that all kinds of residents are welcome at 655 Union St., and that it’s the amenity package that is geared towards childless couples and singles.
“It is also possible that, in our two bedrooms or some of our very large one bedrooms that have an additional room … some people feel comfortable [to bring in kids],” Ezra said.
“Some couples might feel comfortable renting these [units], knowing that if anything changed, they could always have the option — they’re not living in a super tight, every-dimension-is-squeezed apartment,” he said. “And should the stork come to visit them, they can buy themselves time while they figured out their next move.”
To Jordan, DINKs living the high life in Park Slope should enjoy it while they can.
“It’s incredible, the luxury that it affords,” Jordan said of the DINK lifestyle.
“It’s super expensive to live in New York, and it’s not getting any easier. For some people, it seems like they’re happier enjoying their life without children and having nice accommodations to live in, rather than embarking on this very expensive endeavor of having children in one of the five boroughs.”