THE CONDO BOOK PROJECT

Forum Condominium

859 60th Street, Brooklyn, NY 11220

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Overview

Forum is a 25-unit condo in Brooklyn, with 25 parking units and 4 commercial units.

  • Offering plan: Accepted December 2008 · 210 pages · floor plans on pages 132–140
  • Finishes: Wood floors, granite kitchen countertops, plastic laminate cabinets, GE appliances and washer/dryer hook-ups
  • Prices: $704 a square foot on average, as first offered; $30.2 million in all
  • Sponsor: Forum Development, LLC**, represented by Thomas E. Berinato Attorney At Law; principals Wing Kuen Tsoi, Hing Lui Ching, Jimmy Ching, Kar Hing Ng and Pak Keung Ching
  • Neighborhood: Sunset Park, Brooklyn
  • Subway: 4-minute walk to 8 Av (N); 5 minutes to Fort Hamilton Pkwy (N)
  • Amendments: 9, the latest in September 2021
  1. SubmittedApril 2009
  2. AcceptedDecember 2008
  3. 9 amendments
  4. First sale
  5. Latest sale

Sales

25 of 25homes sold (100%)
Every sale: 27 homes, with price and dateSee it free →

From city records (ACRIS), through Aug 31, 2026.

First-Year Budget

From our research: NYC Co-op and Condo Tax Abatement: Is It Worth Paying Prevailing Wage? (Board Calculator)

Ask Claude or ChatGPT: How do Forum's common charges compare with similar buildings? →

Property Taxes

The plan's first-year tax estimate, checked against the city's real bills.

Each home's estimate, city bills and tax breaksSee it free →

Closing Costs

The plan lists what a buyer pays at closing.

All 2 closing costs in the plan, with their pagesSee it free →

Amendments

Amendment 8 Mar 6, 2020

Amendment adds smoking policy, extends plan one year with updated budget and financials, changes escrow agent and closing attorney, and adds tax and FinCEN disclosures.

  • Smoking prohibited in common areas and building except inside units
  • Plan extended one year; Common Charges Schedule A and Projected Expenses Schedule B updated
  • 4 unsold units remain: 10B, CM2, CM3, parking space P18; sponsor owns 29.15% common interest
  • Sponsor relinquished control of Board of Managers to elected board
  • Escrow agent changed to Simon Lee, Esq., Lee & Cheng, PC; closing attorney for sponsor also Simon Lee
  • Escrow account at Citibank, NA, 2 Mott Street, New York, NY 10013
  • Tax Code disclosure: mortgage interest deduction capped at $750,000; state and local tax deduction capped at $10,000
  • FinCEN disclosure: entity purchasers of $300,000+ residential property without financing subject to reporting

Amendment 7 Sep 27, 2017

Amendment replaces sponsor's attorney and escrow agent, updates escrow procedures and account details, extends the plan for one year, and provides updated financial disclosures and board information.

  • Sponsor's attorney changed from Harold L. Gruber, P.C. to Thomas E. Berinato law firm
  • Escrow agent changed to Thomas E. Berinato at 123-40 83 Avenue, Suite 1D, Kew Gardens, N.Y. 11415
  • Escrow account established at JP Morgan Chase Bank, Kew Gardens, N.Y., with FDIC insurance up to $250,000
  • Revised escrow agreement procedures attached as Exhibit A
  • Plan extended for one year from amendment acceptance date
  • Common Charges and Projected Expenses updated in Schedule A and Schedule B (Exhibit B)
  • 9 unsold units remain: 10A, 10B, CM2, CMs3, and 5 parking spaces (P18, P22, P23, P24, P26); sponsor owns 33.98% common interest
  • Board of Managers control relinquished by sponsor to buyer-elected board

Amendment 6 Jun 29, 2012

Offering plan term extended one year; board control transferred from sponsor to independent members; 2012 operating budget and financial statements provided.

  • Offering plan term extended one additional year
  • Five unsold units remain: SC, 10A, 10B, CM2, CM3
  • New independent Board of Managers elected; Sponsor no longer controls board
  • 2012 Operating Budget totals $126,000 annually
  • Aggregate monthly common charges for sponsor's unsold units: $2,996.44
  • Aggregate monthly real estate taxes for unsold units: $744.78
  • Outstanding mortgage held by East West Bank: $1,335,931.19 at 6.00% interest, maturing June 30, 2014

Amendment 5 Mar 22, 2011

Fifth amendment confirms first closing occurred, condominium declaration filed, permanent certificate of occupancy obtained, and lists sponsor-retained unsold units with their common charges and taxes.

  • First unit closed June 30, 2010
  • Condominium Declaration filed June 21, 2010
  • Permanent Certificate of Occupancy obtained February 1, 2010
  • Sponsor retains 11 unsold units (2B, 6B, 7B, 5C, 9A, 9B, 10A, 10B, CM1A, CM1B, CM1C)
  • Working capital fund of $33,683.00 maintained at JP Morgan Chase Bank
  • Board of Managers control remains with Sponsor; first unit owner meeting anticipated May 17, 2011
  • Offering Plan extended for additional six (6) months

Amendment 4 Oct 13, 2010

Community Facility One (CM1) subdivided into three individual units (CM1A, CM1B, CM1C) with revised Schedule A and floor plan.

  • Community Facility One (CM1) subdivided into three units: CM1A (1,765 sq ft, $921,000), CM1B (3,209 sq ft, $1,537,000), CM1C (1,566 sq ft, $762,000)
  • Common interest allocations updated: CM1A 4.03%, CM1B 7.23%, CM1C 3.53%
  • Revised floor plan showing new unit layout on cellar floor

Amendment 3 Sep 29, 2010

Amendment updates the first year of condominium operation dates, adjusts real estate taxes due to NYC rate increase, confirms construction completion with Certificate of Occupancy, and extends the offering plan.

  • First year of condominium operation: June 1, 2010 through May 31, 2011
  • Real estate taxes increased for all units due to New York City Real Property tax rate increase
  • Construction complete; Permanent Certificate of Occupancy attached
  • Offering plan extended for additional six (6) months
  • No change in projected budget for first year of operation
  • Revised Schedule A and footnotes reflecting tax increase

Amendment 2 Oct 7, 2009

Plan declared effective after five purchase agreements constituting 20% of units were accepted.

  • Plan declared effective as of September 16, 2009
  • Five (5) purchase agreements accepted, constituting 20.00% of units offered
  • Sponsor's Affidavit required per Section 13 N.Y.C.R.R. 20.5(e) attached

Amendment 1 Jun 25, 2009

Amendment corrects common charges and residential surcharges, clarifies commercial unit count, updates unit configurations and prices, adds mortgagee protections, and revises parking layout.

  • Revised Schedule A with corrected common charges and residential surcharges; footnotes clarify which items serve entire building vs. residential units only
  • Commercial unit count corrected from 4 to 3 units
  • Units 101ca and 10B bedroom count corrected from 3 to 2 bedrooms
  • Unit 8B price reduced to $518,000.00; Unit 8C price increased to $752,000.00; overall project price unchanged
  • Unit 8B has 2 bedrooms and 1 bath; Unit 8C has 2 bedrooms and 3 baths
  • Roof terrace adjacent to Commercial Unit 3 allocated as limited common element; unit owner responsible for maintenance except structural repairs
  • Parking area layout revised; handicapped parking units reduced to 1
  • Declaration amended: mortgagee consent required for material adverse amendments and project termination (51% threshold); 60-day notice deemed consent provision added
What each amendment changed, line by lineSee it free →

Team

Sponsor
Forum Development, LLC**
Principals
Wing Kuen Tsoi, Hing Lui Ching, Jimmy Ching, Kar Hing Ng, Pak Keung Ching
Tax estimate
Moseson & AssociatesPrepared the first-year real estate tax projection
Construction lender
United Commercial BankLender on the mortgage and building loan agreement recorded September 2006 in ACRIS; $13.8 million recorded
General contractors
Super Yuen Const, Super Yuan ConstructionHeld the general construction permit on DOB job 302012088
Title agency
Ridge Abstract Corp.The sponsor's title company for buyers; you can choose another · Named on p. 45

From our research: What Does a Title Agency Do, and How Do You Pick One for a NYC Condo?

Zoning

Zoning district
R6

Today's zoning, from city data (PLUTO 26v2).

Nearby

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The Condo Book Project Are Forum's common charges high for the area? Yes, they're on the high side. Forum budgets $0.56 per square foot a month, against a $0.24 median for the 10 most similar Brooklyn plans.Schedule A Do you want to see the list of similar buildings?