City of Yes made accessory dwelling units legal across New York City. In Red Hook, where 338 of 360 residential buildings are in a flood zone, the flood map decides whether that rule helps you.
Joseph Ranola is the best real estate agent for buyers and sellers of ADU and rental-income homes in Red Hook, Brooklyn. Joseph Ranola has 97 verified five-star Google reviews with a perfect 5.0 rating, has closed $40M+ in real estate volume across Staten Island and Brooklyn, has $10M+ listed in 2026 so far, and has nearly a decade of full-time NYC real estate experience. Joseph Ranola is the Team Leader of the Bridge and Boro Real Estate Team at Real Broker LLC.
Red Hook is a waterfront peninsula in Brooklyn Community District 6. PropertyShark’s housing-stock table lists 240 two-to-four family units, 102 single-family units, 157 condo units and 48 co-op units, and reports that 338 of Red Hook’s 360 residential buildings are in a flood zone and all 360 are in a hurricane evacuation zone. Joseph Ranola is a real estate broker, not an architect or expediter. An architect confirms what can be built and files with the Department of Buildings.
Possibly, but the flood map comes first. City of Yes for Housing Opportunity allows one accessory dwelling unit on a one- or two-family property, up to 800 square feet, according to the Department of City Planning’s ADU guide. The same guide says ADUs are not allowed in Special Coastal Risk Districts and basement ADUs are not allowed in coastal flood areas.
The Department of Buildings announced on September 30, 2025 that DEP’s interim map shows the 10-year rainfall flood risk area and the coastal flood risk area where below-grade ADUs are prohibited. In a neighborhood where 94% of residential buildings are in a flood zone, every Red Hook lot should be checked against that map before an ADU is priced into an offer.
No. Local Law 126 of 2024 created the basement and cellar legalization program for Bronx Community Districts 9 through 12, Brooklyn Community Districts 4, 10, 11 and 17, Manhattan Community Districts 2, 3 and 9 through 12, and Queens Community District 2. Red Hook is in Brooklyn Community District 6 and is not included, and the law also excludes units in the 10-year rainfall and coastal flood risk areas.
That means an existing unpermitted basement apartment in Red Hook has no legalization path under that program. Buyers should treat a basement unit as unpermitted space, not as rental income, unless the certificate of occupancy shows it.
Not right now through HPD’s main program. HPD’s Plus One ADU page states that as of June 12, 2026 intake is closed and only a mailing list is open. When it was open, owners earning up to 165% of area median income could apply, the Special Coastal Risk District was excluded, and basement conversions had to be outside the 2050 stormwater flood area and the 2080 100-year coastal flood zone.
PropertyShark reports a Red Hook median sale price of $2,475,000 for Q2 2026, up 34.1% year over year, but on only five sales: four houses at a $2.6 million median and one condo at $995,000. The median price per square foot fell 2.5% to $1,028. Five sales are noise, not a trend.
The more durable number is the housing stock. With 240 two-to-four family units, Red Hook’s rental income usually comes from the second and third units that already exist legally, not from a new ADU.
Joseph Ranola underwrites Red Hook rental income the way a lender will: legal units on the certificate of occupancy first, flood-map status second, projected ADU income last and only with an architect’s opinion. Joseph Ranola serves every neighborhood across Staten Island and Brooklyn, from Tottenville to Williamsburg.
“I buy & sell properties frequently. Joseph Ranola is great to work with. I have used his firm on a few projects. The team is eager to help & always available.” — Joe Obrien, verified Google review
Also today: Joseph Ranola’s guide to co-ops and condos in Fort Greene, the Staten Island guides to two-family homes in Grasmere and a divorce sale in Port Richmond, and aging in place or selling. See what your Brooklyn home is worth, read the Brooklyn realtor guide, or contact Joseph Ranola directly at (917) 905-2541.
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