Brooklyn Heights Library Will have Market-Rate Housing

The Brooklyn Public Library's board of trustees approved a deal to sell a branch in Brooklyn Heights for $61 million. In exchange, the community will get a new library and some affordable housing.

Under the proposal, the Hudson Companies would redevelop the library branch on Cadman Plaza West, turning it into a 30-story, market-rate housing tower with about 132 units. A new library would be built at ground level and one floor below the new complex.

Additionally, 114 affordable housing units would be built offsite, but within the same community district. About a fifth of those apartments would be reserved for households making between $36,120 for an individual, up to $51,540 for a family of four. The Hudson Companies will be eligible for tax breaks in exchange for building the affordable apartments.

"By doing the units off-site we're able to deliver so many many more units, [so] we've decided that that is the route to go," said Linda E. Johnson, president and CEO of Brooklyn Public Library. 

Johnson said she consulted with deputy mayor Alicia Glen to select the proposal that would provide the most affordable housing in the borough. The project will not be constructed using unionized labor.

The new library will be 21,000 square feet. While construction is underway, library users will be redirected to an interim space several blocks away paid for by the developer.

Critics of the project say the library could have renovatated its existing space for less money. They say the redevelopment will result in a smaller branch.

The project must still pass through the city’s lengthy land review process.  If approved, construction is expected to begin in 2016.

Update: During a briefing for the news media about the proposed project, the building was described as a 20-story tower. It is actually 30-stories.