Brooklyn is known for brownstones, churches and \u2014 in recent years \u2014 lots of rental apartment construction.<\/p>\n
When combined, Brooklyn and Queens became a larger rental market than Manhattan in 2025, with Kings County\u2019s busy developers at the tip of the spear.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The data comes from StreetEasy\u2019s most recent market report<\/a>, which compiled the top 10 New York City neighborhoods for new rental construction. Powerhouse Brooklyn took seven out of 10 slots. Despite local growth, rental demand remains high, particularly in the oh-so desirable corners of the borough.\u00a0<\/p>\n Central and South Brooklyn are hotbeds of new apartment construction. Paul Martinka<\/p>\n Luxury apartments are popping up in historic neighborhoods like Fort Greene and Boerum Hill. James \u2013 stock.adobe.com<\/p>\n New developments largely concentrated in Central and South Brooklyn yielded 9,875 units in January, according to StreetEasy. Housing-focused rezonings over the last two decades have paved the way for residential construction in growing enclaves like Gowanus and Crown Heights.<\/p>\n The growth arrives alongside a citywide dip in sales volume for multi-family buildings, Crain\u2019s New York reported<\/a>, as investors shy away from older, rent-stabilized buildings.<\/p>\n Downtown Brooklyn led the way<\/a> in StreetEasy\u2019s report with 214 new rental buildings constructed last year, followed by 213 in traditionally low-lying Gowanus. The two neighborhoods offered roughly equivalent median rents around $4,850.<\/p>\n Gowanus, once known for its stinky canal, is racking up high-end residences. Paul Martinka<\/p>\n Recently rezoned Gowanus<\/a> is in the midst of a major rebrand, from polluted industrial site to developer-friendly hotspot. A brand-new rental tower there even secured a $25,000-a-month tenant<\/a> this month.<\/p>\n The uptick in construction might just be following the lead of Long Island City, where keen-eyed developers flooded the market with new rentals<\/a> before going all in on luxury condo towers<\/a>.<\/p>\n New rental construction is slowly but surely changing the face of idyllic enclaves long known for their rows of historic townhomes. Fort Greene, Crown Heights and Boerum Hill rounded out the top five for new construction, where the median construction years still hover around the 1940s.<\/p>\n Sure signs of change have come in the form of a luxe high-rise marketed to childless couples<\/a> in Park Slope, a $1 billion futuristic apartment tower<\/a> coming to Gowanus and a buzzy 27-story church conversion<\/a> in Fort Greene.<\/p>\n Vacancy rates across Brooklyn have stayed tight as would-be buyers wait out high costs and interest rates. lightphoto2 \u2013 stock.adobe.com<\/p>\n New developments in Brooklyn are often a mix of affordable housing and market-rate rentals. Gabriella Bass<\/p>\n Despite promising growth, would-be buyers camping out in the rental market have kept vacancy rates painfully low in Brooklyn. The borough\u2019s January rental report<\/a> by appraiser Miller Samuel documented a 15.5% decline in inventory year-over-year alongside a 9% median price hike. Local bidding wars reached a fever pitch<\/a> last year, outpacing Manhattan and Queens at a whopping 32%.<\/p>\n By contrast, sales inventory expanded last quarter, according to the appraiser, and the borough\u2019s median sales price of $990,000 stayed flat year-over-year.<\/p>\n While affordable housing carve-outs abound in Brooklyn\u2019s rezoned neighborhoods, new developments often come at a premium to market-rate renters, StreetEasy noted, capitalizing on lifestyle-driven amenities that hike up prices.\u00a0<\/p>\n Continued construction of new units could mean more landlord concessions for Brooklyn renters. Paul Martinka<\/p>\n