Bensonhurst Brooklyn

Practice Areas

Bankruptcy Solutions

The purpose of federal bankruptcy legislation, sometimes known as Title 11 of the United States Code or the “Bankruptcy Code,” is to provide an opportunity for financial reorganization or a fresh start for legitimate debtors who are unable to fulfill their obligations.

Foreclosure Solutions

As you are undoubtedly aware, many homeowners are in arrears on their mortgages as a result of the 2020 recession brought on by the coronavirus. At first, most lenders had been understanding and would have granted a brief suspension of the late payments.

Debt Negotiations & Settlements

Clients regularly hire the Law Office of Ronald D. Weiss, P.C. to represent them in negotiations with banks, mortgage holders, credit card issuers, auto financing providers, landlords, tax authorities, and other creditors.

Mortgage Loan Modifications

The most common strategy used by our firm to prevent a house in severe mortgage arrears from going into foreclosure is a mortgage modification. Mortgage modification and other potential Retention Options are the potential goals of most homeowners in foreclosure because most people experiencing serious hardships with their mortgages are looking for “Retention Options

Credit Card Solutions

For consumers, credit card debt and other unsecured personal loans are the most common types of debt. There are a few legal options for handling credit card debt, including the following: Litigation, bankruptcy, and/or negotiated settlements are the three options.

Debtor Litigation Defense

Many of The Law Office of Ronald D. Weiss, P.C.’s clients face the possibility of litigation or collection activities from their creditors because they are accused of having debt that they are unable to pay or because they contest the existence, amount, or obligation of the debt.

Landlord Tenant Solutions

Landlord-Tenant Law is one of our firm’s areas of expertise; we defend landlords and tenants in a variety of legal proceedings before the Landlord-Tenant Court and the New York Supreme Court. When it comes to eviction and/or collecting large amounts of past due rent.

Distressed Real Estate

A. Pre-Contract When a seller (the “Seller”) sells real estate to a buyer (the “Buyer”), there are usually a number of important steps involved. A seller will first list their property on the market for sale. A real estate broker is frequently hired by the seller to help locate possible buyers for their property.

Student Loan Solutions

In this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes,” as Benjamin Franklin famously said. This phrase has recently been amended by popular opinion to include student loans. Since most jobs these days require a bachelor’s degree, the amount of debt that Americans owe on their student loans

Tax Debt Solutions

Many people have trouble keeping up with their tax payments to the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance (“NYS”), which includes sales taxes, income taxes, payroll taxes, and other state taxes, as well as the U.S. Internal Revenue Service (the “IRS”), which includes individual income taxes.

Bensonhurst, situated in the southwestern section of Brooklyn, is primarily a residential neighborhood. Bounded by 14th Avenue to the northwest, 60th Street to the northeast, Avenue P and 22nd Avenue (Bay Parkway) to the southeast, and 86th Street to the southwest, it shares borders with Dyker Heights, Borough Park, Mapleton, Bath Beach, and Gravesend.

Notably, Bensonhurst harbors diverse ethnic enclaves, earning the reputation of being Brooklyn’s “Little Italy.” In recent years, it has emerged as the borough’s second Chinatown, boasting the largest population of Chinese and Hong Kong-born residents in New York City. This demographic constitutes approximately 9.5% of the city’s Chinese-born population, as per data spanning from 2007 to 2011.

Administratively, Bensonhurst falls within Brooklyn Community District 11 and is identified by ZIP Codes 11204 and 11214. Policing is overseen by the 62nd Precinct of the New York City Police Department, while its political representation is divided among the New York City Council’s 38th, 43rd, and 47th Districts.

Bensonhurst’s name traces back to Egbert Benson (1789–1866), whose descendants sold his lands to James D. Lynch, a real estate developer from New York. Lynch acquired the old farmlands from the Benson family in the mid-1880s and initiated the sale of private lots in an area initially named Bensonhurst-by-the-Sea, now recognized as Bath Beach. The commencement of land sales in “The New Seaside Resort” area was publicized in the July 24, 1888, edition of the Brooklyn Daily Eagle.

Throughout the mid-20th century, Bensonhurst evolved into an enclave primarily inhabited by Italian and Jewish communities. Despite experiencing a wave of commercial development in the 1980s, some parcels of land remained undeveloped. However, by the early 2000s, the landscape of Bensonhurst began to change as condominiums emerged, signifying a shift towards a more diverse community. Presently, Bensonhurst boasts a blend of residents hailing from various ethnic backgrounds, including Chinese, Italian, Mexican, Middle Eastern, and Russian. This multicultural makeup has led to the neighborhood, along with adjacent areas, being referred to as “Brooklyn’s Chinatown.”

According to data from the 2020 United States census, Bensonhurst had a population of 104,934 residents, residing within an area of 1,890.81 acres (765.18 ha). This translates to a population density of 75.7 inhabitants per acre (48,400/sq mi; 18,700/km2).

The racial composition of the neighborhood was as follows: 43.9% (43,064) Asian, 34.8% (36,545) White, 1.0% (1,078) African American, 0.6% (600) from other races, and 2.5% (2,613) from two or more races. Additionally, Hispanics or Latinos of any race accounted for 17.2% (18,064) of the population.

Community Board 11, which encompasses Bensonhurst, had a total population of 204,829 individuals as per NYC Health’s 2018 Community Health Profile. The average life expectancy in this area was 83.8 years, surpassing the median life expectancy of 81.2 for all neighborhoods in New York City. The demographic breakdown indicated that a significant portion of the population consisted of middle-aged adults and youth, with 20% aged 0–17, 31% aged 25–44, and 26% aged 45–64. The proportion of college-aged and elderly residents was comparatively lower, at 8% and 15%, respectively.

Regarding economic indicators, the median household income in Community District 12, which encompasses Bensonhurst, was $53,493 in 2016. As of 2018, approximately 23% of Bensonhurst residents lived in poverty, slightly higher than the rates for Brooklyn (21%) and New York City (20%). The unemployment rate stood at 8%, slightly lower than the rates for both Brooklyn and New York City (9%). Rent burden, reflecting the percentage of residents struggling to pay rent, was 52% in Bensonhurst, aligning closely with the citywide and boroughwide rates of 52% and 51%, respectively. Consequently, based on these metrics, Bensonhurst was classified as a low-income area and was not undergoing gentrification relative to other parts of the city.

In the early 20th century, Bensonhurst experienced significant migration waves, particularly of Italians and Jewish migrants. Before World War II, the neighborhood boasted a roughly equal Jewish and Italian population. However, in the 1940s, an influx of immigrants from southern Italy shifted the demographic balance, making the area predominantly Italian.

Around 1989, another wave of migration began with immigrants arriving from China and the former USSR, primarily from Southern China, Russia, Ukraine, and Armenia. This influx diversified Bensonhurst’s cultural landscape significantly. Subsequently, in the 2000s, the neighborhood witnessed rapid growth in cultural diversity, with communities of Polish, Ukrainian, Russian, Albanian, Greek, Georgian, Armenian, Uzbek, Arab, Egyptian, Lebanese, Pakistani, Mexican, and Guatemalan Americans establishing roots there. A 1994 report by The New York Times highlighted the increasing presence of Russian-speaking, Asian, and Hispanic populations in Bensonhurst.

By 2000, data from the New York City Department of City Planning revealed that slightly over half of Bensonhurst’s residents were born in another country. This trend continued, and by 2013, then-Mayor Michael Bloomberg noted that the city’s foreign-born population had reached a record high, with Bensonhurst ranking as the neighborhood with the second-highest number of foreign-born residents, just behind Washington Heights.

Many of Bensonhurst’s residences are attached or semi-detached, although fully detached houses can be found in the western area near Dyker Heights. These houses are primarily constructed in the 20th century, using materials such as brick, stucco, and stone, with some featuring aluminum siding facades. Additionally, clusters of apartment buildings are spread throughout the neighborhood. Following rezoning efforts in the 2000s, numerous short single-family homes were demolished and replaced by three-story brick apartment buildings and multi-family condominiums.

These residences are often referred to as “Fedders Houses” due to their distinctive standard air conditioner sleeves. Between 2002 and 2005, approximately 1,200 new housing units were approved in Bensonhurst to accommodate its growing population, which includes many foreign-born residents. As real estate values in the area increased, many long-time homeowners opted to sell their houses.

In terms of geographical boundaries, Bensonhurst does not have any official designations in New York City. However, parts of nearby neighborhoods like Bath Beach, Mapleton, Dyker Heights, Gravesend, and Borough Park are sometimes considered as part of Bensonhurst. Nonetheless, Bensonhurst-proper encompasses the area bordered by 86th Street, 14th Avenue, 60th Street, McDonald Avenue, Avenue P, Stillwell Ave., and Bay Parkway.

The NYPD’s 62nd Precinct is situated at 1925 Bath Avenue.

In 2010, the 62nd Precinct ranked as the 4th safest out of 69 patrol areas for per-capita crime. Historically, Bensonhurst has maintained lower crime rates compared to other neighborhoods in Brooklyn, although its predominantly White and Asian population has occasionally been targeted in racially-motivated crimes, such as the tragic murder of Yusef Hawkins in 1989.

As of 2018, Bensonhurst’s rate of violent crimes per capita, with a non-fatal assault rate of 23 per 100,000 people, is lower than that of the city overall. Additionally, the precinct’s incarceration rate of 152 per 100,000 people is also lower than the citywide rate.

Crime rates in the precinct have decreased significantly since the 1990s, with a reduction of 87.4% across all categories between 1990 and 2018. In 2018, the precinct reported 2 murders, 20 rapes, 120 robberies, 148 felony assaults, 178 burglaries, 482 grand larcenies, and 67 grand larcenies auto.

As of 2018, Bensonhurst exhibits lower rates of preterm births and births to teenage mothers compared to other areas citywide. In Bensonhurst, there were 84 preterm births per 1,000 live births (compared to 87 per 1,000 citywide), and 12.5 births to teenage mothers per 1,000 live births (compared to 19.3 per 1,000 citywide).

Despite this, Bensonhurst has a notable population of residents who are uninsured or receive healthcare through Medicaid, with an estimated 13% being uninsured in 2018, slightly higher than the citywide rate of 12%.

The concentration of fine particulate matter, a dangerous air pollutant, in Bensonhurst is lower than the citywide and boroughwide averages. However, 16% of Bensonhurst residents are smokers, higher than the city average of 14%.

Health indicators in Bensonhurst also show mixed results. While 21% of residents are obese, which is slightly lower than the citywide average of 24%, 12% are diabetic, and 16% have high blood pressure, compared to the citywide averages of 11% and 28% respectively. Additionally, 14% of local children are obese, compared to the citywide average of 20%.

Encouragingly, 90% of Bensonhurst residents consume fruits and vegetables daily, slightly higher than the city’s average of 87%. However, only 65% of residents describe their health as “good”, “very good”, or “excellent”, which is lower than the city’s average of 78%.

In terms of access to healthy food options, Bensonhurst has a higher ratio of bodegas to supermarkets compared to the city average, with 27 bodegas for every supermarket.

While Bensonhurst itself does not have hospitals, nearby neighborhoods like Coney Island Hospital, NYU Langone Hospital – Brooklyn, and Maimonides Medical Center serve the area.

In Bensonhurst, the proportion of college-educated residents tends to be lower compared to the rest of the city as of 2018. Approximately 36% of residents aged 25 and older hold a college education or higher, while 26% have less than a high school education, and 38% are high school graduates or have completed some college education. This contrasts with the citywide statistics, where 40% of Brooklynites and 38% of city residents possess a college education or higher.

However, there has been a notable improvement in math achievement among Bensonhurst students over time. The percentage of students excelling in math increased from 50% in 2000 to 71% in 2011, while reading achievement remained steady at 52% during the same period.

Moreover, Bensonhurst demonstrates lower rates of elementary school student absenteeism compared to the rest of New York City. Only 12% of elementary school students in Bensonhurst missed twenty or more days per school year, in contrast to the citywide average of 20% of students.

Additionally, Bensonhurst boasts a high on-time graduation rate among high school students, with 85% graduating on time, surpassing the citywide average of 75%.

The neighborhood benefits from excellent access to the New York City Subway system. The D train, operating on the BMT West End Line above 86th Street, offers a direct route to Grand Street in Manhattan, providing a convenient connection for commuters. Additionally, the N and W trains, running on the BMT Sea Beach Line near 63rd Street, provide direct access to Canal Street in Manhattan. This accessibility is particularly advantageous for the growing Chinese population in Bensonhurst, offering easy commutes into Manhattan’s Chinatown.

Furthermore, the Sea Beach Line includes a station at Eighth Avenue in Brooklyn’s Sunset Park Chinatown, with a transfer option to the West End Line available at New Utrecht Avenue / 62nd Street. Moreover, the IND Culver Line along McDonald Avenue, serving the F and F trains, traverses the northeastern end of Bensonhurst between the Bay Parkway and Kings Highway stations, enhancing transportation options for residents in the area.

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