Watermark Court Square. Source: Twining Properties
Jan. 6, 2016 By Jackie Strawbridge
A 27-story residential tower rising in Court Square will include a significant portion of small studios meant to cater to young professionals.
Watermark Court Square, located at 44th Drive near Jackson Avenue, will include 168 units with 40 percent studios, 40 percent one-bedrooms and 20 percent two-bedrooms.
The studios will be 400-square-feet, compared to developer Twining Property’s standard studio size of 450-square-feet, according to Alex Twining. One-bedrooms range from 600-square-feet to 820-square-feet, and two-bedrooms range from 950-square-feet to 1,100-square-feet.
Twining Property’s goal is to offer smaller – and therefore cheaper – units than standard, plus several shared amenities, in order to attract young professionals. Twining said this setup is consistent with what he has observed in Long Island City, adding that Watermark is catering to the prevalence of single renters in Court Square.
“Overall, the percentage of space given to amenities is going up as the square footage actually of the units is going down, and that’s not particular just to us,” he said. “More and more people want other places to hang out to mix and mingle with other folks living in the building.”
Watermark’s amenities include a rooftop terrace, garden, lounge, café and fitness center.
Twining said it is too early to define rents at the Watermark Court Square, but said they will likely be comparable to those at the Pearson Court Square.
Available units at the Pearson are listed online as roughly $2,100 per month for a studio, $2,500 for a one-bedroom and $3,300 for a two-bedroom.
Watermark Court Square is currently under construction with occupancy expected to open in mid-2017, Twining said.
