The Solaire | 20 River Terrace – Battery Park, Manhattan
Go Back To Previous PageIn Battery Park City, a 291-unit rental called 20 River Terrace in Manhattan, New York, NY, is undergoing a co-op conversion. And the co-ops will have condo rules, meaning no board interviews, for instance. The Solaire, at 20 River Terrace NYC, is a Hudson River-facing property with studios to three bedrooms, priced from roughly $800,000. Sa
les will launch this spring. Prospective homeowners can access amenities such as a doorman, a live-in manager, a fitness center, bike storage, and a landscaped roof terrace with lounge and dining areas. Parking and storage come at an extra cost.
Battery Park
Sitting between West Street and the Hudson River at the southern tip of Manhattan, Battery Park remains a residential community only a short distance from the Financial District. Construction began in 1980, and any residents in the area today would agree it was a success.
Battery Park City has a different pace and vibe from other parts of Manhattan. Landscaped squares and paths separate residential buildings, while a riverside promenade runs along the neighborhood’s western edge. Something made even more appealing by the sunset views over and cooled breezes off of the Hudson.
The entire city is rejoicing in a stroll along the promenade. And thanks to continuing retail and restaurant developments nearby, Battery Park City’s popularity grows.
Ground leases are attractive.
Every building in Battery Park City sits on land owned by an arm of the State of NY. This arm (the Battery Park City Authority) “rents” this land to each condo or coop.
The leases all expire in 2069
However, different buildings have different terms regarding the “rent” escalations, usually a buyer’s initial concern.
While land lease buildings (the words “ground lease” and “land lease” are used interchangeably) have rent payments, not land lease properties have mortgages on the land upon with they sit, so those buildings still have payments to make. There are subordinated ground leases and unsubordinated ground leases.
The Solaire at 20 River Terrace ground lease
The Lease for THIS building began in April 2001 and expires in April 2069. This is when all of the ground leases in Battery Park City expire. Some
may consider any land lease as a depreciating asset. Indeed, as the years go on, the end of the Lease gets closer, and people think it to diminish in value.
There could be a pool of prospective purchasers who will not want to consider a land lease building, regardless of the lease terms. However, purchasers in these buildings generally understand that some value and appreciation come at the front end.
There is no automatic right of renewal.
But what will likely happen as the year progresses is that the Board will negotiate to either extend the existing Lease or enter into a new One.
A portion of the monthly maintenance goes toward the rent
Currently, the rent comprises only about 3% of the annual budget. However, the rent is going to reset in 2024. The base rent will be 6% of the land’s fair market value because the Lease is structured.
Of course, there is no way to accurately predict the fair market value. If appraised high enough, it could cause a significant rent increase.
However, the Lease also allows the tenant and landlord to reach a mutual agreement on the Base Rent Reset, thus doing away with any of the appraisals and resulting increases.
Likely to trigger a maintenance increase for 20 River Terrace, NYC!
In 2020, one informal study was done that put the value of the piece of land at $96 Million. Well, 6% of that would mean rent of $5,760,000 per year, and right now, the rent is only $300K.
The plan says that the methodologies implemented by the appraisers at the time did not comport with what was required by the Lease. This means both parties have the right to an independent evaluation, with a third appraiser involved, if they cannot reach an agreement.
The Sponsor then speaks about the eleven buildings located in Battery Park City that negotiated ground rent resets outside of the appraisal process:
- Hudson View East
- Hudson View West
- Battery Pointe
- Hudson Tower
- Soundings
- Liberty Court
- Liberty Terrace
- Cove Club
- Liberty House
- Liberty View, and
- Regatta
The 2011 Rent Negotiations resulted in an average annual base ground rent of approximately $1,100,508.00, translating to an estimated yearly base ground rent of $1,424,995.00 for 2024.
The public policy argument for NOT going with the actual 6% of Market Value is strong enough to prevent dramatic escalation. According to the Sponsor, they believe the climate has changed and think The Solaire will produce a better result.
Politics are also at play. And some appointees would like to remain in charge and may need support from Battery Park residents. Again, no guarantees.
An illustration in numbers for 20 River Terrace, NYC
The plan states that IF The Solaire negotiated a new Base Rent at the same rental rate per square foot price as the 2011 Rent Negotiations, then for the Ground Lease Year commencing on April 4, 2024 (i.e., the reset date), the Base Rent would be $2,425,641.00 or less, even $2 Million.
Assuming that higher number, if we divide that number by the 100,000 shares, then multiply it by the number of shares for a standard Unit (say 418), it would mean the rent portion of the maintenance would be $844 per month rather than the current $104.00 per month which is with the 300K per year rent.
So, with the proposed maintenance for a Unit currently at $1,798, we would add the differential in increased rent and wind up with a maintenance of $2,538. If the assessment was 96 million, the rental component jumps to $2,006 monthly, making maintenance $3,700. This does not include the pilot. But again, that is the worst-case scenario and probably unlikely.
In a coop, a piece of the maintenance pays the property taxes. Because the Sponsor is the one paying the taxes, you are making PILOT payments (an acronym for payments instead of taxes.) Right now, the PILOT payment for a unit is $2,020.00.
However, that PILOT payment reflects the last phase of a 421a tax abatement that this particular piece of property was given ten years ago. The abatement will be over in the 2023-2024 tax year (starting July 1, 2023), and the PILOT payment can increase by as much as 20%, making monthly PILOT here at $2,424.00.
To summarize:
Current monthlies: PILOT 2,020 and MAINTENANCE 1,798 = total of 3,818
After the rent escalation and PILOT abatement is gone:
- Worst Case Scenario: PILOT 2,424 and MAINTENANCE 3,700 = total of 6,124
- Hopeful Scenario: PILOT 2,424 and MAINTENANCE 2,557 = total of 4,962
- Even Better Scenario: PILOT 2,424 and MAINTENANCE 2,390= total of 4,814
(based on annual rent of about $2 Million)
Once the rent resets in 2024, it remains at that level. It resets again in 2044 and 2049 by the greater of
- (x) fifteen percent (15%) of the Base Rent set for the prior five (5) Ground Lease Years or
- (y) the percentage of increase, if any, of the Consumer Price Index as determined for the month in which the applicable escalation date occurs over the Consumer Price Index for the last month of the prior five (5) Ground Lease Year period (i.e., March 2039 and March 2044.)
The bottom line is after the 2024 reset; you can count on relatively stable rent payments for many years.
Remember that maintenance will also increase due to higher taxes, payroll, energy, and insurance. We cannot factor that in now, and the rent is only one component of the monthly maintenance.
Georges has been working in Wall Street for the last 16 years trading derivatives with hedge funds. He has been an active real estate investor for over a decade. Georges graduated from HEC Business School in Paris and holds a master in Finance from ESADE Barcelona.
