Despite some local opposition, Sunset Park City Councilman Carlos Menchaca, today, gave his full support to a politically connected non-profit demolishing the current one-story Sunset Park branch of the Brooklyn Public Library (BPL) and rebuilding it into a eight-story building with nearly twice as much library space and 49 affordable apartment units above it.
The library is located at 5108 Fourth Avenue. It was built in 1978 and is one of the busiest branches in the borough.
Under the plan, an affiliate of the Park Slope-based non-profit Fifth Avenue Committee (FAC) will buy the property from the city for the appraised value and then develop it with one condominium unit going back to the city for the library.
Park Slope City Council Member and Chair of the Council’s Progressive Caucus Brad Lander was once the FAC executive director. Additionally, FAC received $100,000 from the City Council and Lander’s office in the recently approved FY 2016 city budget.
FAC was originally located on Fifth Avenue and made a strong stand against the gentrification of Fifth Avenue, only to later give up their storefront offices to a fancy gourmet shop and restaurant, and move into a plush and refurbished building a block west on DeGraw Street off Fourth Avenue.
Nevertheless, FAC does have a good record in developing affordable housing, and the nine studio apartments in the proposed building will go for as little as $433 per month, up to the 10 three-bedroom apartments that will rent for up to $1,686 per month.
The proposed library portion of the building will include a below ground level, the entire first floor and part of the second floor seeing the floor space increase from its current 12,200 square feet to about 21,000 square feet.
Additionally, FAC will not commence with any part of the project until a temporary library in the neighborhood is found and opened.
“I support the development of permanently affordable housing and an expanded library for Sunset Park residents,” said Menchaca. “It doubles the size of the borough’s second busiest library. I applaud the developer’s commitment not to start any construction until an interim library site is secured. This guarantees Sunset Park residents will not experience a lapse in valuable library services.
“This project also creates 49 residential units. Half of them will be reserved exclusively for local residents, the remainder will be for a mix of civil servants, the physically disabled, and victims of domestic violence. Rents for these units will be calculated against real-world income levels in Sunset Park. There are no luxury or market rate units at all and there are firm protections against any future conversion to market rates. By any measure, this project is a win for Sunset Park residents and for the future of our neighborhood.”
But the nonprofit community based organization, Village of Sunset Park, fear the proposed development will further gentrify the working-class neighborhood, and that the Brooklyn Public Library system will not have the money to stock and staff the new library.
The proposal must move through the rather lengthy city land use process, and if all goes well construction will start in June 2016 and start renting in January 2018.
If green lighted, the Sunset Park Library will become the second in the Brooklyn Public Library branch portfolio to be demolished and rebuilt with housing on top of it.
Somewhat similar plans are underway for the Cadman Plaza Library Branch in Brooklyn Heights, but there are some differences according to BPL Spokesperson Adam Leddy.
“Both projects will provide the communities they serve with new, modern, inviting libraries. Both will also add affordable housing to communities that need it—114 units in Community Board 2 in the case of the Brooklyn Heights project, and 49 units in Sunset Park. In Brooklyn Heights, we are partnering with Hudson Companies to develop the site, while in Sunset Park, we are working with a non-profit developer, the Fifth Avenue Committee,” said Leddy.
“That said, the project in Sunset Park only involves affordable housing – and is being pursued by the Library to help pay for a larger branch. Unlike Brooklyn Heights, it is not a revenue generator for the library system,” he added.
