Luxury developers doubling down on pool parties

Luxury developers are looking to make a splash in the market by flooding their buildings with a second pool.

Dual pools have become a popular selling point for developers of condo buildings in New York City, Bloomberg reported. While a single pool has become ubiquitous for most high-end builds, a second pool creates an opportunity to separate noisy families from determined lap pool swimmers.

Related Companies is at the forefront of the trend. At The Cortland in West Chelsea, there are separate pools for the two factions, which executive Andrew Orchulli said was a “differentiator.” 

There are doors that can be closed to separate the two pools, one of which has games to keep kids entertained. The pools don’t even have the same temperature, a point of contention at some luxury buildings.

Activist investor Daniel Loeb infamously got into a dispute with a group of moms regarding the temperature of the 75-foot lap pool at 15 Central Park West. A triathlete, Loeb preferred the water to be colder than what the moms and their families wanted. The moms won the battle, but developers are wary the war could continue.

Whether or not two pools can actually be a differentiator on the market remains to be seen, as developers are all seemingly jumping into the deep end. In Tribeca, there are three buildings within a few blocks of one another with the double feature, including Witkoff Group’s 111 Murray Street and Related’s 70 Vestry Street, which upped the ante with plunge pools, too.

Adding a second pool isn’t necessarily for the faint of heart. In addition to needing the space to actually do so, there are also extra upkeep costs to consider. The city also requires a lifeguard for each pool — a second, unconnected pool means a second lifeguard to pay.

Developers won’t be deterred from going above and beyond for potential tenants, though.

“Not every project has the space to do this,” Witkoff’s co-CEO said, adding the firm will definitely include two pools when it can, such as at One High Line.

— Holden Walter-Warner

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