Is There Still Room On 4th Avenue For Car Repair Shops?

The building at 270 4th Avenue, on the corner of Carroll Street, is up for rent. Currently home to ABC Collision, CPEX Real Estate’s listing notes it’s the whole building that’s available — the ground floor and second floor each have more than 9,500 square feet of space and high ceilings. The rental price is not listed, but they say it’s negotiable.

The listing also points to neighboring businesses to show the space’s potential, while at the same time demonstrating the change that’s taking place along 4th Avenue. More high-rise apartment buildings are coming, and new businesses are taking a chance on the busy street. But these developments are displacing many existing businesses, including other auto repair shops.

So our question is: If car repair shops can’t make it on 4th anymore, where will they go?

Similar demand for property has driven auto repair businesses out of areas in Manhattan like the Meatpacking District and around the Hudson Yards, and it seems like 4th Avenue, and then further into Gowanus, may be next. And while, of course, not all New Yorkers drive cars, plenty do — not to mention all the taxis so many people rely on — so the services these businesses provide continue to be needed.

As 4th Avenue continues to evolve, is there still a place for the auto repair shops that have been here for so long? And if not here, then where?

Photo via CPEX