Sunset Park Library and Apartments. Credit: Brooklyn Public Library
The New York City Council wants to build affordable housing on top of public libraries to ease the current housing crisis. Council Speaker Julie Menin on Thursday called on the Mamdani administration to invest $60 million to support the redevelopment of three initial library sites, one in each of the city’s three public library systems. The plan builds on the city’s existing model of co-locating affordable housing and libraries, including Bensonhurst’s New Utrecht Library, which the city issued a request for proposals for just this week, as well as ongoing projects at Grand Concourse and on the Upper West Side. Similar projects in Sunset Park and Inwood opened in 2023 and 2024, respectively.
“For years, New Yorkers have talked about the promise of building housing above libraries, but only a handful of projects have moved forward,” Menin said. “Today, the Council is taking action with a comprehensive plan to unlock deeply affordable housing alongside transformed library facilities across the city.“
“By pairing new library construction with residential development, we can deliver modern community spaces, create new homes for New Yorkers, and maximize the value of public land,” she added. “This is exactly the kind of innovative and proactive thinking our city needs to address both our housing crisis and our infrastructure needs.”
Menin’s proposal calls for funding three initial sites that would pair expanded libraries with affordable housing above them: the Parkchester Branch Library of the New York Public Library (NYPL) in the Bronx, the Marcy Branch Library of the Brooklyn Public Library (BPL), and the Sunnyside Branch Library of the Queens Public Library (QPL).
Three additional sites have been identified for future phases: the Francis Martin Branch Library (NYPL), the Windsor Terrace Branch Library (BPL), and the Lefferts Branch Library (QPL).
According to the New York Times, each project could include about 100 apartments on top of the library, with units priced from about $1,215/month to $2,430/month.
Menin’s proposal builds on a model that has delivered new public facilities across the five boroughs through partnerships with private developers, in which housing and public facilities are constructed as part of a single project.
This approach can significantly reduce costs and speed up delivery compared with traditional standalone public construction projects.
The Sunset Park Library, completed in November 2023, was the first example of this type of affordable housing in the city. Located at 372 51st Street, the aging branch was redeveloped into the Sunset Park Library and Apartments, an eight-story mixed-use building with a new library and 100 percent affordable housing above it.
In June 2024, the Inwood Library was redeveloped into The Eliza, a 14-story building with 174 deeply affordable apartments above a two-level NYPL branch. Designed by Fogarty Finger in collaboration with Andrew Berman Architect, the project was delivered at roughly half the capital cost and in about half the time of a standalone library built through the city’s typical construction process.
According to the Council, the city should prioritize this model when facilities such as libraries, senior centers, and childcare centers are in need of upgrades and are located on sites suitable for housing development.
If capital funding is secured through the budget process, individual sites would move through the city’s standard public development process, including requests for proposals (RFPs) and the Uniform Land Use Review Procedure.
On Wednesday, the city’s Department of Housing Preservation and Development released a request for proposals to transform the New Utrecht Library at 1743 86th Street in Bensonhurst into a modern branch with housing above it. The existing facility has millions of dollars in deferred maintenance needs, and parts of the building are in disrepair.
“The New Utrecht Library has long served as a vital resource—offering a space for learning, connection, and community,” Council Member Alexa Avilés said. “I’m proud to support the City’s partnership with the Brooklyn Public Library to pursue a long-overdue renovation of this beloved institution, alongside the development of new affordable housing in my district.”
“At a time when our city is facing a severe housing crisis and cuts to vital services, this project represents a meaningful step forward,” she added.
The initiative builds on the city’s “Living Libraries” program, which pairs modernized library facilities with affordable housing. Other projects in the program include the Upper West Side’s Bloomingdale Library, which will feature 850 housing units.
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