THE CONDO BOOK PROJECT

489 & 501 9th Avenue Condominium

489 9th Avenue & 501 9th Avenue, Manhattan, NY 10018

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Overview

VITA is a 122-home new condo spread across two buildings at 489 and 501 Ninth Avenue in Hell's Kitchen, with Gaggenau kitchens and quartzite countertops (as clarified by the sponsor), heat-pump HVAC and a gym, lounge and roof terrace in each building. Its offering plan budgets a non-union staff led by a live-in resident manager, with labor close to half the first-year budget.

  • Where: 489 and 501 Ninth Avenue, Hell's Kitchen, Manhattan, with service entrances on West 37th Street (Tower A) and West 38th Street (Tower B).
  • Size: 122 homes, 42 storage units and 5 non-residential units.
  • Mix: about 55 one-bedrooms (roughly 590 to 720 square feet), 64 two-bedrooms (about 870 to 1,310) and 3 three-bedrooms.
  • Outdoor space: about 73 of the 122 homes have a private terrace or balcony, per Schedule A, from under 40 square feet to over 2,000.
  • Offering prices: the sponsor's Schedule A lists one-bedrooms from about $1.15 million to $1.65 million and two-bedrooms from about $1.8 million to $3.1 million. These are offering prices, not sales, and some homes were left unpriced.

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FigureThis building1Nolen265 units · 1.2 miaccepted 2024842 Sixth394 units · 0.7 miaccepted 2026
Common ChargesPer Square Foot / Month$1.03Lowest$1.43$1.26
Average Offering PricePer Apartment$1.89MAbove peers$1.62M$1.84M
Average PricePer Square Foot$2,193Above peers$2,177$2,034
Average Unit SizeSquare Feet869 SFIn line742 SF902 SF

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Unit mix, closings, budgets, finishes and the team, against Nolen and 842 Sixth, cited to the offering plans. No credit card required.

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How We Got This
  • Comps: the closest Manhattan plans on size, $/SF and launch date, within 2 miles when possible.
  • Figures: each building's own offering plan, filed with the NY Attorney General. Nothing is estimated.
  • Checked: a price list publishes only when its math adds up, and building pages cite the plan pages.
  • Labels: In line is between the comps; Below/Above peers is past both by up to 15%; Lowest/Highest by more.

Budget

What It Costs to Run

The sponsor's first-year budget, prepared by managing agent AKAM and projected for July 2025 through June 2026, comes to about $1.3 million for the whole condo. Here's where the money goes:

Budget lineAbout
Staff wages and benefits$624,000 (nearly half)
Insurance$150,000
Reserve$119,000
Common-area electricity$98,000
Service contracts$85,000
Water and sewer$78,000
Management fee$50,000
  • Who pays: the 122 homes carry about $1.24 million of it, which works out to an average of roughly $850 a month per home; your actual charge depends on your unit's share. The non-residential units pay about $66,000 and the storage units about $3,000.
  • At closing: you'll pay a non-refundable working capital contribution equal to 2 months of common charges.
  • Property taxes: the tax consultant was told no building-wide exemption will be sought, so the projection assumes full taxes. Individual owners may qualify for the city's co-op and condo abatement.

Good to know: if the first year starts more than six months late, the sponsor must issue a revised budget, and if it's 25% or more higher, you get 15 days to cancel and get your deposit back. Compare with our common charge benchmarks and operating expense benchmarks, or read why operating costs differ.

From our research: The Sponsor's Condo-Creation Fee in NYC · NYC Condo Insurance Costs Are Rising · Condo Supplies Cost per Unit, by Size

The Building

Finishes

The plan's Description of Property lists brands and model numbers, which is more than most listings will tell you. For context on how these compare, see our guides to NYC condo finishes and bathroom brands.

Kitchen

  • Appliances: Gaggenau, as clarified by the sponsor. The offering plan as filed lists Bosch 800 Series for the refrigerator, dishwasher, induction range, oven and range hood, so ask for the current kitchen specification in writing.
  • Countertops: quartzite, as clarified by the sponsor. The filed plan doesn't name the kitchen countertop material.
  • No gas cooking: the range is induction.
  • Sink and faucet: Signature Plumbing.

Bathrooms

  • Quartz vanity tops with undermount sinks on HPL (high-pressure laminate) cabinets.
  • Signature Plumbing faucets and tub/shower fittings, plus a Duravit fixture in the schedule.
  • Marble or porcelain tile on bathroom and powder room surfaces.

Windows, Laundry and Climate

  • Windows: by BCG Glass, with operable casements (insulated glass, fiberglass-reinforced frames) in every habitable room and fixed curved windows at the building corners. The facade uses UHPC (ultra-high-performance concrete) panels.
  • Laundry: every home gets a Bosch 800 Series washer and a ventless, electric condensation dryer, so there's no dryer vent to the outside.
  • Heating and cooling: each home has a split, variable refrigerant flow (VRF) air-source heat pump system, with energy recovery units for fresh air.

Good to know: the plan doesn't name an interior designer, and the sponsor reserves the right to swap any listed material, appliance or fixture for one of "equal or better quality."

Listings: VITA on StreetEasy

Amenities, Staffing & Transportation

Because VITA is two buildings, most amenities come in pairs, one per building.

  • Fitness centers: one in the cellar of each building.
  • Lounges: one in the cellar of Tower A and one on the ground floor of Tower B, each lit by a skylight.
  • Roof terraces: a shared rooftop terrace on each building.
  • Bike storage: 30 spaces in Tower A's cellar and 32 in Tower B's.
  • A package room near the lobby mailboxes, and a Latch app-based intercom so you can let guests in from your phone.
  • Not included: no pool and no parking. The plan also doesn't provide a backup generator.

Good to know: amenities are for residents (owners or permitted tenants) and guests they accompany. The board can set roof terrace rules, which the plan says may include occupancy limits, noise rules, no glassware, closing in bad weather and requiring a chaperone for anyone under 18. There's building mechanical equipment on the roofs that may make noise and vibration. See how VITA's package stacks up in our guide to amenities by building size.

Staffing and Services

  • Front desk: a lobby attendant 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The plan promises the lobby will be attended around the clock at all times after the first closing.
  • Staff: the budget covers 1 live-in resident manager, about 8.4 full-time-equivalent concierges and 1.6 porters, roughly 11 people.
  • Not union: the plan expects the staff to be non-union employees.
  • Phase-in: at the first closing you can expect a resident manager and at least a concierge at the door; the rest of the staff phases in during the first year.

Tip: our doorman cost guide explains why staffing drives so much of a building's budget.

Transportation

  • Subway: 5 min walk to 34 St-Penn Station A C E; Times Sq-42 St/Port Authority Bus Terminal 1 2 3 7 A C E N Q R S W, 6 min

Fine Print

What's Specific to It

  • Two buildings, one condo: 59 homes in Tower A (489) and 63 in Tower B (501) share one board, one budget and one staff.
  • Amenities doubled up: a gym in the cellar of each building, a skylit lounge in each, and a rooftop terrace on each roof.
  • Five non-residential units (four commercial and one community facility) aren't for sale; the sponsor may lease them, and the plan lets them use the sidewalk for things like outdoor seating.
  • Storage is sold, not licensed: 42 small storage units of about 10 to 22 square feet are listed in Schedule A at $50,000 each.
  • Lincoln Tunnel next door: the plan warns of possible noise, fumes, odors and traffic.

VITA is the marketing name for the 489 & 501 9th Avenue Condominium, filed with the New York Attorney General by ZDJ Hudson Yards LLC and accepted in September 2024. Listing sites will show you photos and a price. The offering plan tells you what's actually going into the walls, who staffs the lobby and what it all costs to run, so it's worth a look before you sign.

Fine Print Worth Knowing

  • Withheld pricing: the sponsor held back pricing on 102 homes at launch.
  • Ground-floor neighbors: the four commercial units and the community facility unit aren't being sold. The sponsor may lease them as raw "white box" space, which can delay the buildings' permanent certificate of occupancy, and their occupants may use the sidewalk for outdoor seating and signage.
  • No credit for missing amenities: if a service or facility isn't ready when you close, you don't get a price reduction or a common charge credit.
  • Location: the plan flags noise, fumes, odors and congestion from the nearby Lincoln Tunnel.

Team

Nearby

FAQ

Does VITA have a doorman?

Yes. The plan budgets a lobby attendant 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, with about 8.4 full-time concierges, 1.6 porters and a live-in resident manager, all expected to be non-union.

What amenities does VITA have?

Each of its two buildings has a cellar gym, a skylit lounge and a shared roof terrace, plus bike storage for 62 bikes in total, a package room and storage units for sale; there's no pool or parking.

How much are common charges at VITA?

The sponsor's first-year budget is about $1.3 million, and the residential share averages roughly $850 a month per home, with staff making up nearly half of costs.

Do VITA apartments have washers and dryers?

Yes, every home comes with a Bosch 800 Series washer and a ventless condensation dryer, alongside a kitchen with an induction range.

Where this comes from: the building's offering plan (CD230321), filed with the New York Attorney General and accepted in September 2024, including its Description of Property, Schedule A and Schedule B. Prices are the sponsor's offering prices, and the budget is the sponsor's first-year projection; both can change by amendment. Search the plans to compare buildings. Updated October 2026.