The Brooklyn Tower: What the Offering Plan Says About 9 DeKalb Avenue
The Brooklyn Tower is a 93-story Downtown Brooklyn tower from JDS Development Group where 149 condos sit above nearly 400 rental apartments, retail and a landmarked base. Here's what its offering plan says about the finishes, shared amenities, staffing, budget and fine print.
In brief: The Brooklyn Tower at 9 DeKalb Avenue is a 93-story mixed-use tower in Downtown Brooklyn whose 149 condos occupy floors 53 to 60 and 66 to 92, sponsored by an affiliate of JDS Development Group. Below them are a rental unit of about 400 apartments (120 affordable and 278 market-rate), six retail units, three commercial units and a landmarked portion of the building. What sets it apart, per the plan: the main amenity floors belong to the rental owner and are shared with condo owners for a fee, staff is shared across the whole tower, and parking is off-site in a public garage.
What's Specific to It
- You don't own the amenity space. The pool and lounges sit in "Commercial Unit 3" on floors 7 and 8, always owned with the rental unit. Condo owners share its costs but have no say in how it's run.
- The amenity fee has a floor. Condo owners also pay a $450,000 first-year amenity usage fee that can't be cut without the affected owners' consent.
- The gym is a public business. Commercial Unit 2 is expected to be a public fitness center, open to residents on the same terms as anyone else.
- Your building manager lives in the rental. The resident manager is expected to occupy a leased apartment (anticipated as 12A) in the rental portion.
- Parking is down the street. The sponsor reserved 90 spaces in a public garage at 189 Schermerhorn Street, first come, first served.
- Storage lockers are licensed, not owned. 182 subcellar lockers (about 16 to 36 square feet) are licenses tied to your apartment; the sponsor keeps the initial proceeds.
The offering plan, the condo document the developer filed with the New York Attorney General, shows who owns what and who pays for what. That matters here, because you're buying a slice of a large mixed-use building. (New to these? See what a condo offering plan is.)
At a Glance
- Address: 9 DeKalb Avenue, Downtown Brooklyn, with residential entrances on Fleet Street and Flatbush Avenue Extension
- Height: 93 above-grade stories plus two below-grade levels; plan CD210093 was accepted in October 2021
- Condos: 149 homes on floors 53 to 60 and 66 to 92, from about 440 to about 2,930 square feet
- Everything else: a rental unit with 398 apartments on portions of floors 11 to 31 and 38 to 52, six retail units, three commercial units
- Pricing at filing: only 24 of the 149 homes were priced in the original plan; prices for the rest were withheld for later amendments
Finishes
The plan lists finishes down to model numbers, subject to substitution with items of "equal or better quality."
Kitchen
- A full Miele appliance package: refrigerators (24, 30 or 36 inches depending on the layout), convection and speed ovens, gas cooktops (24 or 36 inches) and dishwashers
- XO Ventilation hoods, U-Line wine refrigerators in some layouts, and a Waterworks faucet over an Elkay sink
Bathrooms
- TOTO toilets with bidet seats and Geberit push plates
- Waterworks fittings throughout: faucets, shower heads, hand showers, thermostatic trim and tub fillers, plus Waterworks Clara undermount sinks
- Soaking tubs from Kohler, MTI and Zuma, depending on the bathroom (compare bathroom brands in NYC luxury condos)
Floors, windows and laundry
- Floors: 5/8-inch select-grade European white oak from P.C. Hardwood Floors over an acoustic underlayment
- Windows: a glass curtain wall with fixed panes running nominally floor to ceiling. Only about 30% of units include operable windows, and those open as top-hung awnings limited to a 4-inch gap, with no screens.
- Laundry: every home gets a Miele compact washer and a ventless heat-pump dryer; there's no common laundry room
Heating and cooling
Five gas-fired condensing boilers feed hot water into a two-pipe system, and tower apartments get Bulldog hybrid heat pumps with programmable, zoned thermostats. Rooftop cooling towers handle cooling.
Good to know: ceilings are typically dropped in places for beams and ductwork, so check the plan's ceiling-height table. More in NYC condo finishes since 2010.
Amenities
The main amenity package lives in Commercial Unit 3 on floors 7 and 8, shared between condo owners and rental residents. The plan anticipates:
- A large terrace with an outdoor swimming pool and whirlpool spa
- Locker rooms, a billiards room, a kids' playroom and a screening room
- A lounge, a private dining room and a catering kitchen
Other spaces in the building:
- Common terraces at certain setbacks for "passive recreational use," which the board can limit by capacity, noise, weather and glassware, and where children under 18 may need a chaperone
- A fitness center in Commercial Unit 2, expected to be open to the public, so membership terms are set by its operator, not the condo
Tip: the plan warns that some amenities and the full staff may not be ready until about 18 months after the first closing, and the pool and spa up to 24 months. Compare amenities by building size.
Staffing and Services
Staff is shared across the whole building, rentals included. The first-year budget projects a resident manager and assistant manager, two handymen, a 24/7 concierge, a lobby attendant 16 hours a day and eight porters. Wages follow Local 32BJ union rates, and payroll comes to roughly $2.1 million, the biggest line in the budget. The full staff may not be hired until occupancy reaches certain levels. For how staffing drives costs, see what a doorman costs in an NYC condo.
What It Costs to Run
The sponsor's first-year budget (December 2022 to November 2023) covers the whole building, about $7 million, split among condos, rentals, retail and commercial units. The condo homes' share is roughly $3.2 million.
- Common charges: Schedule A estimates range from about $700 a month for the smallest homes to about $5,150 for the largest penthouses, roughly $1,800 on average, with property taxes on top
- Amenity costs: about $530,000 to run Commercial Unit 3 (roughly $350,000 for operations and cleaning and $180,000 in real estate taxes), split with the rental unit, plus the $450,000 amenity usage fee paid only by condo owners
- Reserves: about $145,000 a year, based on a reserve fund study, plus a working-capital contribution of two months' common charges at closing
Good to know: the amenity fee is effectively a fixed cost. Benchmark the numbers with our common charge and operating expense tools, and read why operating costs differ.
Fine Print Worth Knowing
- A condo inside a bigger condo: the building began as an 11-unit condominium, with all the homes in one "Primary Residential Unit" later split into 149. The rental, retail and commercial units are separate owners with their own rights.
- Neighbors you don't control: retail and commercial units can be used for almost any lawful purpose, which the plan warns may bring noise or odors, and condo owners get none of their revenue.
- Off-site parking isn't guaranteed: the 90 reserved spaces at 189 Schermerhorn Street are rented monthly through the garage operator at its rates, and the sponsor doesn't promise you'll get one.
- Tax breaks are for the shops: the sponsor plans to seek ICAP tax benefits for the retail units and possibly some commercial units, for up to 25 years. The plan doesn't describe an abatement for the condo homes.
- The landmarked portion: the building includes a restored landmarked portion with its original cast-bronze windows kept and reglazed. It holds retail units only.
For how parking deals like this one compare, see sold, licensed and leased parking.
Who's Behind It
- Sponsor: 9 DeKalb Fee Owner LLC, with JDS Development Group named as the company behind it and Michael Stern as principal
- Architect: SHoP Architects, with WSP as structural engineer and Jaros, Baum & Bolles as mechanical engineer
- Managing agent: Halstead Management. Selling agent: Douglas Elliman
- Sponsor's counsel: Starr Associates LLP. Real estate tax counsel: Podell, Schwartz, Schechter & Banfield LLP
- Interior designer: the plan sections we reviewed don't name one
Common Questions
Does The Brooklyn Tower have a doorman?
Yes. The plan budgets a 24/7 concierge plus a 16-hour lobby attendant, shared with the rentals and paid at union rates.
Do condo owners share amenities with renters?
Yes. The main amenity floors, including the outdoor pool, are owned with the rental unit and shared with its residents; condo owners pay a share of costs plus an amenity fee.
Is there parking at The Brooklyn Tower?
Not in the building. The plan reserves 90 monthly spaces at a public garage at 189 Schermerhorn Street, first come, first served, at the garage's rates.
What are the common charges at The Brooklyn Tower?
The sponsor's first-year estimates run from about $700 to about $5,150 a month, roughly $1,800 on average, with property taxes billed separately.
Where this comes from: the building's offering plan (CD210093) as filed with the New York Attorney General, including the description of property, the architect's report, Schedule A and the Schedule B first-year budget. Budgets are the sponsor's projections, and finishes may be substituted under the plan. Updated October 2026.