(Courtesy of Level bk)
Luxury apartment amenities tend toward the ridiculous, as if a wine tasting room is going to justify paying $3,000 for a studio. (And what exactly is an “arts and crafts atelier,” anyway?) But this one is admittedly pretty sweet. Residents of Williamsburg’s Level bk tower are getting access to e-cars. Hey, at least someone will survive the impending L-pocalypse.
The tower’s developer, Douglaston Development, is teaming up with WaiveCar, the Los Angeles-based car-sharing service, to bring three Chevrolet Sparks to Level bk’s garage, which is equipped with electric chargers. Residents who sign up for the service will get to use the cars for up to 12 hours at a time, with the first three hours free and the rest priced at $5.99 each. The partnership is being touted as WaiveCar’s first entry into the NYC market, and NYC’s first free car-share program.
(Courtesy of Level bk)
Of course, there’s a catch. The cars are wrapped in Level branding and are topped by a screen that broadcasts yet more ads for the complex, where studios are currently going for up to $3,026. (A press release assures us that “the display will also show relevant info to city dwellers including news, weather and sports scores.” How nice.) So, driving around in one of these things is kind of like wearing a T-shirt that says “ASK ME ABOUT MY INDOOR/OUTDOOR POOL, YOGA ROOM, BICYCLE VALET, AND FURNISHED ROOFDECK WITH FIREPLACE.”
Plus, Level bk– the last of the three megatowers in the Edge development, at the far east end of North 6th Street– has over 500 units. With just three cars to go around, it’s clear plenty of residents are going to end up having to walk to Whole Foods. Ew.