Brooklyn, NY – Brooklyn Public Library (BPL) announced today that the Brooklyn Heights Library redevelopment has moved forward into the City’s Uniform Land Use Review Procedure (ULURP).
“We’ve taken an important step toward providing Brooklyn Heights with the world-class library its residents deserve, and infusing much-needed funding into our network of neighborhood libraries,” said BPL President & CEO Linda E. Johnson.
“We’ve been hard at work since our designation nine months ago to design a beautiful building that will be the pride of its neighbors, library patrons, and future residents,” said David Kramer, President of Hudson Companies.
The project will replace the aging building at 280 Cadman Plaza West, which requires more than $9 million in repairs, with a brand new facility. The state-of-the-art, 21,500 square foot library – one of the largest in the BPL system – will be part of a mixed use building to be developed by the Hudson Companies, Inc. and designed by Marvel Architects. The branch will be a flagship library for the neighborhood, offering new collections, technology, and extensive programs.
The construction of a new Brooklyn Heights Library will benefit library users throughout the borough. More than $40M from the $52M sale will be invested in neighborhood branches with urgent capital needs, significantly reducing the current $300 million in unfunded capital needs across BPL’s 60-branch system.
As part of the project, Hudson Companies will also build 114 units of affordable housing. Hudson has secured binding contracts for two sites within Community District 2, at 911-917 Atlantic Avenue and 1041-1047 Fulton Street. The affordable units will be built without using any City or State capital subsidy, without Federal tax credits and without low-interest subsidy financing.
BPL recently concluded a robust planning process, led by Marvel Architects, for the new library that included a survey, an interactive exhibit, and a series of workshops. The results of this process will inform the programming for, and ultimately the design of, the new library. Results and opportunities to leave additional feedback are available at http://www.bklynlibrary.org/brooklyn-heights-project
More details on the project, including new renderings of the Cadman Plaza and affordable housing buildings, can be found at http://www.bklynlibrary.org/brooklyn-heights-project and 280cadman.com
About Brooklyn Public Library
Brooklyn Public Library (BPL) is an independent library system for the 2.5 million residents of Brooklyn. It is the fifth largest library system in the United States with 60 neighborhood libraries located throughout the borough. BPL offers free programs and services for all ages and stages of life, including a large selection of books in more than 30 languages, author talks, literacy programs and public computers. BPL’s eResources, such as eBooks and eVideos, catalog information and free homework help, are available to customers of all ages 24 hours a day at our website: www.bklynlibrary.org.
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