City Council Approves Brooklyn Heights Library Deal

The New York City Council has voted to approve a controversial redevelopment deal for the Brooklyn Heights Public Library.

As part of the plan, the property and air rights will be sold to developer Hudson Companies for $52 million. The developer will then build a new library at the base of a 36-story condo tower, and construct affordable housing in Clinton Hill.

Council member Stephen Levin, who represents the area, said he worked out some final concessions from the developer. “The decision to sell a public asset should never be made lightly,” Levin said in a statement. “I believe the new community benefits and protections added to the proposal … make it a good deal for the public and my community.”

The new Brooklyn Heights branch will now be 26,620 square feet. That’s up from the original plan, which called for the library to be 21,500 square feet. The Brooklyn Public Library will also create a 5,000 square foot branch serving Dumbo, using some of the proceeds of the sale in Brooklyn Heights to pay for it. The Dumbo-area library will be the first new branch created in the city since 1983.

Brooklyn Library President Linda Johnson called the vote a “victory,” saying the sale will ensure a state-of-the-art library in Brooklyn Heights and generate money for much needed repairs at other branches.

But critics say the plan shrinks the Brooklyn Heights branch, which is currently 60,000 square feet. They say the city got a bad deal, and warn it could be a model for future library sales. “The sale of and shrinkage of libraries for a fraction of their value is frightening,” said Michael D.D. White, co-founder of Citizens Defending Libraries.  

Susan Lerner, executive director of the good government group Common Cause says the deal was finalized behind closed doors, and called the last-minute concessions “window dressing.”

Editor’s note: This article and its headline have been rewritten for clarity.