March 5 (Bloomberg) -- Brooklyn apartment and townhouse prices jumped 16 percent in 2006 to a median of $570,000, driven by a wave of new construction in New York's most populous borough.

Brooklyn Heights was the most expensive neighborhood with the median price for one-, two- and three-family apartments and townhouses rising 21 percent to $3 million, the Real Estate Board of New York said in a report today.

``It's probably as hot as or hotter than Manhattan,'' said Jonathan Miller, president of New York real estate appraisers Miller Samuel Inc., in an interview.

New York home sales have defied a nationwide housing slump that brought sales down 10 percent and included a fourth quarter with the slowest growth in prices since 1999. The median price for single family home in the U.S. including condominiums was $210,600 in January. The median price of a Manhattan apartment was about $800,000 last quarter.

Over the last two years the city granted 9,191 building permits in Brooklyn, more than in any other part of New York, according to U.S. Census data. That has brought new condominiums and cooperative apartments to neighborhoods including Williamsburg, Greenpoint and Park Slope.

Brooklyn is known for distinctive neighborhoods that range in character from the working class Russian enclave of Brighton Beach to the Heights, where Wall Street titans buy townhouses overlooking downtown Manhattan.

Diversity

That diversity, plus the heavy concentration of new development, has made Brooklyn attractive, Miller said.

Overall, the median price for a Brooklyn condominium increased 9 percent to $477,000 in 2006. The median price for a cooperative, where buyers purchase shares in a corporation that owns the building rather than buying the property directly, increased 12 percent to $253,000.

Citywide, New York co-ops account for about two-thirds of apartment stock and condos about one-third.

This is the second year that the real estate board, which represents landlords, developers, sales agents and other industry professionals, has released Brooklyn sales data using records from city government and brokers.

``Many of our members are moving into Brooklyn,'' said Mike Slattery, vice president of the real estate board. ``For the next year or so it's going to continue.''

To contact the reporter on this story: Sharon L. Crenson in New York at screnson@bloomberg.net

Last Updated: March 5, 2007 15:35 EST