Gerritsen Beach is located in the south-easternmost corner of Brooklyn, between the 798-acre Marine Park and the neighborhood of Sheepshead Bay. Gerritsen Beach borders Sheepshead Bay to the west (at Avenue U and Knapp Street), the park to the north/east (at Burnett Street and Gerritsen Avenue), and is surrounded by Plumb Beach Channel and Shell Bank Creek to the south and west, respectively.
The neighborhood is named for Wolfert Gerritsen, a French Walloon settler, who built a house and a mill in this remote area in the early 17th century. Until the early 20th century, however, the peninsula remained undeveloped, with the exception of temporary fishing shacks and squatters’ bungalows. The first major development came in the form of a middle-class resort community built by Realty Associates on the south end of the peninsula. The resort consisted of single-story bungalows and other warm-weather structures. Soon, however, larger houses were built as people realized that this sleepy fishing village was an ideal place to live if you like peace & quiet. By the 1930′s, over 1500 houses were built in Gerritsen Beach, and the community became a neighborhood in its own right.
The Gerritsen Beach of today offers potential buyers quite a lot of opportunities – low prices, incredible natural resources, tranquility, and very low crime. Fishing and boating enthusiasts will find this neighborhood ideal for their lifestyle, with plenty of docks and beaches. With its narrow streets, closely-set homes, and boating infrastructure, this neighborhood is reminiscent of a New England fishing village.
Gerritsen Beach housing inventory consists of single-family bungalows mixed with two-story duplexes. There are plenty of vacant lots to build upon, and desirable waterfront locations with great views and fresh ocean air. The neighborhood is located next to the largest park in the borough, the 798-acre Marine Park and Golf Course. The park complex offers year-round activities, 13 baseball diamonds, multiple soccer fields and tennis courts, safety-enhanced playgrounds, and much more.
Although remote and relatively under-developed, Gerritsen Beach does not lack in conveniences. The neighborhood’s shopping destination is the giant Kings Plaza Mall, located minutes away on Avenue U. The mall’s 1.1 million square feet of recently renovated space provide over 150 retail establishments, service businesses, a multiplex movie theater, and even its own marina. In addition, the Knapp Street / Avenue U area offers grocery stores, a supermarket, a gas station, and more. Along Gerritsen Avenue itself, a selection of local grocery stores and service businesses takes care of the residents’ immediate needs.
Transportation in Gerritsen Beach is provided by the B31 bus that runs along Gerritsen Avenue. The B31 connects with the B3 along Avenue U, which goes to the Kings Plaza Mall, itself a starting point for 5 Brooklyn bus lines as well as the Queens-bound Q35. Taking the B3 in the opposite direction brings you to the “Avenue U” stop on the Q train, and thence to the rest of the borough’s subway network.