Permits have been filed for a six-story residential building at 191 Greenpoint Avenue in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, replacing a single-story commercial structure that once housed the Korean eatery and specialty store Kimchee Market. The proposed development would rise 74 feet and include five residences, a penthouse, and a cellar, with an average unit size of 1,495 square feet.
According to New York YIMBY, David Avgi of AD Avgi LLC is listed as the owner behind the applications, and the building is designed with a concrete-based structure totaling 7,478 square feet of residential space, plus a 30-foot-long rear yard. Given the average unit scope, the five residences are likely condominiums, the outlet reports. Stephen Conte of StudioSC Architecture is listed as the architect of record. Conte, a Pratt Institute alumnus, has built a reputation for ground-up multi-family housing and adaptive reuse work, including the creative overhaul of the former Brooklyn Night Bazaar, according to Interior Design Magazine.
Avgi, meanwhile, serves as CEO of both AVENUES Real Estate and AVGI Capital Group, with a portfolio that includes more than $500 million in New York City condominium sales and $150 million in completed property flips, per StreetEasy. The firm operates ground-up residential, rental, and commercial projects across Brooklyn, Queens, and Manhattan. No demolition permits have yet been filed for the existing structure, and no estimated completion date has been announced for the project.
A Corner Lot Near a Busy Transit Stop
The site sits between Manhattan Avenue and McGuinness Boulevard, near the Greenpoint Avenue subway station served by the G train. Property listing records show the 2,500-square-foot lot was previously marketed as a commercial development opportunity asking $3,500,000 before entering pending contract status earlier this year, according to Samaki NYC Real Estate. The listing touted the corner parcel's redevelopment potential near the boulevard. The building it would replace dates to 1931 and underwent minor commercial renovations in 2019 and 2023, per The Good Taste Guide.
The parcel falls within an R6A contextual residential district with a C2-4 commercial overlay, which caps residential floor area ratio at 3.0 and limits building height to 70 feet before setbacks, per the NYC Department of City Planning's zoning rules as detailed by PropertyShark. R6A rules enforce Quality Housing standards intended to keep new construction in line with the existing street-wall character of mid-rise Brooklyn blocks. The current filing for 191 Greenpoint Avenue uses standard baseline R6A floor area limits rather than the higher density allowed under the city's 2025 City of Yes for Housing Opportunity update, which lets R6A developers expand FAR from 3.0 up to 3.9 when qualifying affordable or senior housing units are included.
Part of a Wider Wave of Residential Infill
The project isn't happening in isolation. Just down the block at 144 Greenpoint Avenue, developer Double U Development filed plans in May for a seven-story, 60-unit residential building replacing the former Polonaise Terrace venue, a proposal Hoodline reported grew from a smaller conversion into a full ground-up build. Together, the two filings point to a broader pattern of residential density replacing older commercial buildings along Greenpoint's east-west corridors.
The timing lines up with major infrastructure changes nearby. The site sits one block from McGuinness Boulevard, where the city's Department of Transportation broke ground in May on a road diet safety redesign that reduces vehicle travel lanes and installs parking-protected bike lanes between Meeker Avenue and the Pulaski Bridge, according to the mayor's office announcement. The long-debated redesign was initiated by Mayor Zohran Mamdani shortly after he took office in January.
Strong Demand in Greenpoint's Condo Market
Market data suggests the timing could work in the developer's favor. Greenpoint's residential condo market recorded a median price per square foot of $1,449 in the second quarter of the year, according to PropertyShark, meaning the five planned units could potentially command around $2.1 million each at local median rates. Luxury contract activity across North Brooklyn has remained brisk, with 16 luxury contracts signed in a single week in August totaling $49 million and averaging $1,504 per square foot, as reported by The Real Deal. During that same tracking window, a renovated single-family townhouse on nearby Franklin Street went into contract at its full $6 million asking price.
For now, the Kimchee Market building remains standing, and no demolition timeline has been set. Whether the developer eventually seeks to leverage the City of Yes density bonuses before construction begins, or moves forward with the current baseline plan, remains an open question as the filing works its way through city review.
