The city plans to redevelop a Bensonhurst library into a state-of-the-art facility with affordable housing, beginning a community visioning process this fall.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams, city Department of Housing Preservation and Development Acting Commissioner Ahmed Tigani and Brooklyn Public Library on Wednesday announced that the city will redevelop the New Utrecht Library and build new, 100% affordable housing overtop of the new library and on the adjacent city-owned parking lot.
"This ambitious project will deliver affordable housing, high-quality services, and a state-of-the-art library, all in one location,” Adams said in a statement.
The city and BPL will now commence a community engagement process, inviting library patrons and residents to provide feedback and suggestions via the project questionnaire, available online and in print.
The combination of revamping what is usually an older, one-story library branch with housing started in Sunset Park to great success, said Linda E. Johnson, president and chief executive officer of BPL.
"The Living Library redevelopment project will allow us to reinvigorate the aging New Utrecht Library building and provide the community with a modern branch for the 21st century,” she said.
HPD and BPL will lead an in-person community workshop at the library, as well as plan local tabling events and meetings with the local community board and stakeholders. Feedback from those surveys and events will be incorporated into a community visioning report and published as part of a request for proposals asking development teams to submit proposed plans for the site. Submissions from developers must be responsive to the community priorities laid out in the community visioning report.
Project updates and upcoming public tabling events will be shared on the project website and social media. The branch will continue to serve the public until construction begins, and the city and BPL will ensure critical library services are not interrupted during construction.
