Retail space for lease in Washington Heights
Washington Heights is home to NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia University Irving Medical Center at 168th Street, which anchors Upper Manhattan's medical office market. 181st Street and St. Nicholas Avenue are busy neighborhood retail and restaurant corridors.
- Retail stock
- 2.7M SF
- Retail properties
- 436
- Largest retail
- 600 West 181st Street
- Transit
- A C at 168 St
Building figures are existing stock from NYC PLUTO 26v2 tax lot records, not space on the market. More below.
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NYC Department of Finance filings
Rent collected per square foot: retail buildings in Manhattan
In 2024, 1,328 Manhattan retail properties filed income statements with the city. Their median gross income was $64.71 per square foot, and the middle half collected between $38.35 and $104.91. The typical property's income was up 2.1% on 2023. The city publishes these figures by borough, not by neighborhood, so they cover Manhattan as a whole.
Gross income per square foot, 2024
Manhattan retail buildings
- Median gross income
- $64.71/SF
- Middle half
- $38.35 to $104.91
- Typical change on 2023
- +2.08%
- Citywide median
- $36.07/SF
- Filings
- 1,328
Turn a price per square foot into monthly rentWhat tenants pay on top of rent
Source: NYC Department of Finance, FY 2027 RPIE 2024 Income and Expense Distributions (FY 2027 assessment roll, published January 2026), page 16. Owners of income-producing properties file a Real Property Income and Expense statement each year; gross income is everything a property collected in 2024 per square foot, as filed, with outlier and partial-year filers left out. It includes vacant space, concessions and older leases, so it is not an asking rent.
NYC storefront registry
Storefronts in Washington Heights
How many shopfronts the city's registry counts here and how many stood empty at the end of 2025: a quick read on how much choice a retail or restaurant tenant has.
- Registered storefronts
- 1,204
- Vacant on Dec 31, 2025
- 111
- Vacancy rate
- 9.2%
- NYC 9.2%
- A year earlier
- 8.2%
- more empty now
Streets with the most storefronts in Washington Heights
Large buildings with a vacant storefront
Owners of 1 of the 5 large buildings we track in Washington Heights with registered storefronts reported at least one vacant on December 31, 2025. Each links to the building's filings by year. Not listings: the registry records no size, rent or asking terms.
| Building | Vacant storefronts | Reported vacant |
|---|---|---|
| 4259 Broadway | 1 of 3 | Every year end since 2024 |
Own or represent a vacant storefront in Washington Heights? List it free and it is matched against every retail requirement the day it goes up.
NYC storefront vacancy report: every borough, neighborhood and street, by year
Source: NYC Department of Finance, Storefronts Reported Vacant or Not (Local Law 157), annual filings, pulled 2026-10-16. Owners of buildings with ground- or second-floor storefronts register each one every year with its status on December 31. Neighborhood figures count storefronts near the neighborhood's commercial core, the same area as the building figures on this page. A vacant storefront is not always on the market: some are being renovated, held empty or already leased to a tenant who has not moved in.
NYC tax lot records
Retail buildings in Washington Heights
What already stands here, from the city's own property data. Useful for sizing a search before a single space is listed.
- Retail space
- 2.7M SF
- Properties with retail space
- 436
- All commercial space
- 18.1M SF
- Built before 1940
- 81%
Largest retail buildings
All 10 large commercial buildings in Washington HeightsAge, height and zoning
- Median year built: 1920.
- Median height: 5 floors.
- Most common zoning districts: R7-2 (529), R8 (113), C4-4 (37).
- Historic districts: Audubon Park Historic District (4 lots), Jumel Terrace Historic District (1 lot).
- 7 lots are designated city landmarks.
Source: NYC Department of City Planning, PLUTO 26v2, pulled 2026-10-16. Counts cover tax lots with commercial floor area within about 0.6 mi of Washington Heights' commercial core, and each lot counts toward one neighborhood only, so boundaries are approximate. Building figures are the city's floor-area estimates, not available space.
MTA station data
Subway stations in Washington Heights
Every station within about 0.6 mi of Washington Heights' commercial core, closest first. Stations joined by a free transfer count once.
- Stations
- 6
- Subway lines
- 3
- Fully accessible
- 2 of 6
- Closest
- 168 St-Washington Hts, 1 min walk
The 6 stations
- 168 St-Washington Hts
- 175 St
- 181 St
- 181 St
- 163 St-Amsterdam Av
- 157 St
Lines
The 1, A and C trains stop within about 0.6 mi of Washington Heights' core.
Step-free access
- 175 St (A) is fully accessible.
- 181 St (A) is fully accessible.
Source: Metropolitan Transportation Authority, MTA Subway Stations, pulled 2026-10-16. Walking times are straight-line estimates from the nearest point of Washington Heights' commercial core (the same area as the building counts), so the street route is longer. Accessibility is the MTA's rating for the named station. PATH, LIRR, Metro-North and ferries are not in this data.
Before you sign
Plain-English guides to square footage, rent and lease terms in New York, and free calculators to run your own numbers.
How much is commercial rent in NYC? Per square foot, by borough
What NYC office, retail and industrial buildings collect per square foot in each borough, from the city's own filings, with the monthly math and the costs on top of rent.
Good guy guarantee in NYC commercial leases
How a good guy guarantee works in a NYC commercial lease: what it covers, how the guarantor gets released, what to negotiate and the 2025 surrender ruling.
Retail lease terms in New York: percentage rent, escalations and more
A New York retail lease covers much more than rent. Here is what percentage rent, escalations, pass-throughs, use clauses and restaurant terms mean for you.
Questions about retail space in Washington Heights
Is there retail space for lease in Washington Heights right now?
No retail space for lease in Washington Heights is listed on Leasemark right now. Post what you need and Leasemark matches you the day a space that fits is listed; your contact details stay private until you accept an intro. Owners and brokers can list a space here for free.
How much does retail space cost in Washington Heights?
Leasemark has no asking rents posted here yet, so here are the city's own numbers. Retail buildings in Manhattan collected a median $64.71 per square foot in 2024, and the middle half between $38.35 and $104.91, according to the income and expense statements owners file with the NYC Department of Finance (FY 2027 distributions, 1,328 filings). The city publishes these figures by borough, so this is Manhattan as a whole, not Washington Heights alone. That is what buildings actually collected, with vacant space, concessions and leases signed years ago in the mix, so it is a baseline rather than a quote: a specific space's price depends on the building's class, floor, condition and the length of the lease.
How do I find retail space in Washington Heights that is not publicly listed?
Post a requirement on Leasemark. Owners and listing brokers see what you need (without your contact details) and can respond with spaces, including ones that are not on the market yet. You choose who gets an intro.
How much retail space is there in Washington Heights?
New York City's PLUTO tax lot data (26v2) records about 2.7 million square feet of retail floor area across 436 properties in the part of Washington Heights Leasemark covers. The largest by that measure is 600 West 181st Street, at about 53,000 square feet. That is the existing building stock, not space currently for lease.
How many storefronts are vacant in Washington Heights?
Owners registered 1,204 ground- and second-floor storefronts in the part of Washington Heights Leasemark covers for the end of 2025, and 111 of them (9.2%) stood vacant on December 31, 2025, against 9.2% citywide and 8.2% here a year earlier. The most storefronts are on Broadway (264) and St. Nicholas Avenue (239). A vacant storefront is not always on the market: some are being renovated, held empty or already leased to a tenant who has not moved in.
Which large buildings in Washington Heights have a vacant storefront?
Owners of 1 of the 5 large buildings Leasemark tracks in Washington Heights with registered storefronts reported at least one vacant on December 31, 2025. It is 4259 Broadway (1 of 3 storefronts). Each building's page shows its filings by year. A vacant storefront is not always on the market: some are being renovated, held empty or already leased to a tenant who has not moved in.
What subway lines serve Washington Heights?
Six subway stations sit within about 0.6 mi of Washington Heights' commercial core, served by the 1, A and C trains. The closest is 168 St-Washington Hts (1 A C), roughly 1 minute on foot; then 175 St (A), 181 St (1), 181 St (A), 163 St-Amsterdam Av (C) and 157 St (1). Walking times are straight-line estimates from MTA station data.
Do tenants in Washington Heights pay the NYC Commercial Rent Tax?
No. Washington Heights is north of 96th Street, and the city repealed the Commercial Rent Tax for premises north of the center line of 96th Street, so a commercial lease here does not pay it at any rent. Space south of 96th Street does.
Is it free to post on Leasemark?
Yes. Posting a space or a requirement is free. Contact details are only shared when both sides accept an intro.