East New York has faced decades of adversity, but it’s also filled with people and community groups who are working hard to improve life for approximately 180,000 residents. It’s a large area that contains Spring Creek Towers, formerly called Starrett City, the country’s largest affordable housing complex that’s practically a self-contained city. The neighborhood skirts Queens to the east, with Brownsville and Canarsie to the west, and Jamaica Bay lapping along the southern edge.
Steve Sallion, a broker with Daniel Gale Sotheby's, grew up in neighboring Brownsville. He points to the area’s transportation options, proximity to JFK Airport, lower density of homes, major development projects and strong community groups as a draw for first-time homeowners. “It’s one of the few value plays still left in Brooklyn in terms of home purchasing, so if your goal is to get in the door, it still provides that.”
Among recent changes to the neighborhood are the addition of a massive state park and a destination shopping mall. Upcoming projects include overhauling Broadway Junction, a major transfer point in nearby Cypress Hills, and developing master-planned communities with affordable housing.
East New York is a predominately working-class African-American community.
One of the latest additions to Spring Creek is the Fountain Seaview apartment complex.
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Below-average price points for a variety of housing
East New York is a mashup of residential, tree-lined streets with attached multifamily townhomes, zoned industrial blocks, 11 public housing developments, new construction and apartment buildings.
Eighty-one percent of residents rent, but buyers can find one-bedroom condos in a high-rise building starting around $300,000, while $500,000 is an approximate starting point for a modest three-bedroom brick townhome with a tiny front yard. Many also include driveways or garages. At the higher end, $1 million can buy an attached, multifamily Romanesque-style townhome. The median home price was $480,000 in 2024 — down 7 percent from the prior 12-month period — and many listings are targeted toward investors. Sallion shares that he often suggests the neighborhood to first-time homebuyers seeking an emerging area and a long-term investment. “East New York is a prime area where buyers can find a lot of home incentives to buy there,” he says, adding how major banks are focused on first-time homebuyers, offering assistance with aspects like closing costs. Sallion acknowledges how locals are concerned about major development projects and newcomers driving up housing prices. “It’s no secret that East New York is a community with one of the highest risks of displacement,” says Boris Santos, Treasurer of East New York Community Land Trust, in a statement.
Housing groups are trying to address that issue. For example, a spate of affordable new development is ongoing in the Spring Creek section near the Gateway Center, an outdoor mall that brought national chains to the neighborhood. Of note, Nehemiah Spring Creek is a multiphase master-planned community that aims to make homeownership accessible to more people. The partly completed project has been in the works since 1983 and currently offers reduced-priced, prefabricated townhomes via a lottery. It’s not the only one: Urban Village is another planned community over the next decade that will eventually occupy 10.5 acres in Spring Creek with homeownership units, a supermarket, daycare, performance arts center and more.
The newer single family row homes in Spring Creek are often finished in colorful siding.
MeadowWood East at Gateway is a condominium complex with parking in Spring Creek.
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Major Broadway Junction project and near JFK Airport
Numerous train lines serve East New York, including the 3 and 4 lines at New Lots and Van Siclen along Livonia Avenue and the A and C lines at Shepherd Avenue. It takes about 45 minutes to reach midtown Manhattan by subway. There’s a long-term plan to overhaul Broadway Junction Station in nearby Cypress Hills, a major hub and transfer point for the L, J, Z, A and C lines and the Long Island Rail Road. The improvements entail making it safer, more accessible and adding two pedestrian plazas. The project has a tentative 2030 completion date. Those living south of Linden Boulevard will find buses more convenient for getting around locally or commuting to Manhattan. Many residents also own cars and the Belt Parkway cuts through the southern tip of the neighborhood. JFK Airport in Queens is just five miles away.
Broadway Junction is a very busy subway station in East New York.
East New York has quick access to the Belt Parkway for easy travel.
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Top-performing charter schools focus on college
As with the rest of the city, residents of East New York have various options for schooling. Students are zoned for District 19, which includes the higher-performing Achievement First charter schools. Achievement First East New York Elementary School serves kindergarten through fourth grade, and grades five through eight can continue to the middle school before finishing at the charter high school. Great Schools ranks all three charters a seven out of 10. The schools aim to provide a safe environment, while the high school’s mission is to gain college acceptance for all seniors. Another option is the Academy for Young Writers, a small public school for grades six through 12, which emphasizes writing skills across all subjects; it’s rated a C-plus on Niche. Spring Creek Community School serves students in grades six through 12 in the Spring Creek section, with a C-plus rating from Niche.
Academy for Young Writers serves 6-12.
Achievement First East New York Elementary is a top public Charter School in East New York.
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Gateway Center offers destination shopping
Livonia Avenue runs underneath the elevated 3 train, where delis and discount stores abound and the elevated trains rumble overhead. But Gateway Center in the developing Spring Creek section is the main star, a popular outdoor mall with a few dozen chain stores, ShopRite and Dave and Buster’s; it opened in 2002 and represents East New York’s ongoing attempts to revive the neighborhood. This includes Fusion East for Caribbean and soul food dishes in a modern space. “You can still get a bit of the suburbs experience,” says Sallion about the chain mall, adding, “you don’t have a lot of options in Brooklyn where can actually drive and park.”
ShopRite is a favorite supermarket of some East New York residents.
Dave and Busters provides a spot for playing video games in East New York.
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The newer Shirley Chisholm State Park is a big deal
Parks and playgrounds are found throughout. But the largest green space is Shirley Chisholm State Park on the southern edge. It opened in 2019 and sprawls across 407 acres along Jamaica Bay. It’s built on former landfills, and now offers a fishing pier, tiny beaches, 10 miles of trails with loaner bikes and picnic areas. Pets aren’t allowed, and accessing it requires some work since the Belt Parkway separates it from the rest of East New York, but there is a dedicated bike lane to reach it. For indoor options, the NYPD Community Center offers aftercare and youth programs, like basketball leagues and graphic design classes.
Shirley Chisholm State Park is a 407-acre state park in East New York.
East New York residents play football on the big field in Linden Park.
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Active community groups for young people
“Obviously the neighborhood has had some challenges related to crime, but that’s changing, and a number of community groups are trying to address that issue and it has been getting better,” Sallion says. East New York Restoration is one of numerous groups serving the community and focuses on greening initiatives, like teaching young people about recycling, composting and renewable energy through hands-on projects. United Community Centers has been giving back to East New York for 60 years; its current projects involve operating the UCC Early Learning Center for 110 preschoolers and East New York Farms!, an expansive project that oversees four urban farms and runs a community-led farmer's market, the only neighborhood place to find organic produce. Thanks to its work, East New York currently has the most community farms in the city. “[East New York] is very welcoming to people who are committed to the community and trying to make the area cleaner and safer,” says Sallion. “There are a lot of community-oriented events to take back the community to make sure it’s great for kids and everybody.”
Children from the United Community Center help grow produce at the East New York Farm.
The East New York Farm addresses food justice in the community.
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Some crime rates are above the national average
Crime rates are above the national average for some categories, with a CAP score of six for homicide, robbery and assault with a weapon compared to the national average of four. Overall, the neighborhood scores a crime rating that matches the national average.
GreatSchools:
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On average, homes in East New York, Brooklyn sell after 79 days on the market compared to the national average of 52 days. The median sale price for homes in East New York, Brooklyn over the last 12 months is $575,000, up 5% from the median home sale price over the previous 12 months.
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