Gowanus Passes Park Slope As NYC 'Neighborhood To Watch': Study

BROOKLYN, NY — With a city-led rezoning of the neighborhood looming, Gowanus' popularity has already surged among New Yorkers looking for a new place to live, according to a study.

Gowanus has landed in StreetEasy's list of "NYC Neighborhoods to Watch in 2022" given a spike in interest among buyers, renters and sellers over the last year.

The neighborhood was one of several that pushed out former hotspots next door. Researchers noted that the 2022 neighborhood ranking includes Gowanus and Bushwick rather than Park Slope, Greenpoint and Williamsburg, which all made the list last year.

StreetEasy calculates its "neighborhoods to watch" based on increases in sale prices, rents and searches for the neighborhood year over year.

"Working from home has changed where people decide to live in order to save money or gainspace," the report reads. "The New Yorkers who wish to live in Bushwick or Gowanus may be seeking the creative vibe SoHo once had decades ago in terms of food, nightlife, and even people watching."

The stats that landed Gowanus on the list include a 48 percent spike in its searches on StreetEasy, a 5 percent jump in median rent and a 7 percent increase in median sale prices, according to the study.

Red Hook, Bushwick and Fort Greene also landed on the neighborhood to watch ranking in Brooklyn.

In Gowanus, the work-from-home surge from the pandemic is likely only part of the reason for neighborhood's surge in popularity.

StreetEasy researchers also pointed to the recently-passed Gowanus rezoning, which is estimated to bring 8,500 new apartments to the neighborhood in the next decade or so. Developers have been snatching up properties in Gowanus in anticipation of the neighborhood's transformation.

Here's a look at all the neighborhoods on the list:

1. SoHo
2. DUMBO
3. Greenwich Village
4. Red Hook
5. Gowanus
6. Flatiron
7. Bushwick
8. Kew Gardens Hills
9. Fort Greene
10. Fordham

Find the full StreetEasy study here.