As Bedford-Stuyvesant City Council Member Robert Cornegy Jr., considered which way to vote on the sale of the Brooklyn Public Library branch at Cadman Plaza, he couldn’t help but think about the one-story Marcy Library branch on DeKalb Avenue in his own district, and in the heart of a rapidly gentrifying neighborhood.
“I didn’t want to interfere with a land use vote on a project in Steve’s (Brooklyn Heights City Councilman Steve Levin) district. I have a lot of respect for him and I assume he did his due diligence (in recommending the sale), but I’m clearly next,” said Cornegy who was one of three abstentions in the 45-1 vote to sell the library. “I got prime real estate throughout the district. That [Marcy] Library could be on the chopping block. I’m not anti-development, but when the City starts entering into selling off public assets this could get sketchy.”
Cornegy said he abstained instead of voting no out of professional courtesy to Levin as generally in land use items the council sides with the recommendation of the member in whose district the item sits.
“In this case I was very worried about the precedent we are setting and wanted to express my apprehension for this to go the wrong way to administrations later on. Once you set the precedent that public spaces are up for grabs you can’t reel it back in.
“Our responsibility [as lawmakers] is not only to function for now, but to be visionaries about the future. I was forced to abstain out of trepidation this could go wrong in the future,” Cornegy concluded.
Sheepshead Bay City Councilman Chaim Deutsch, the only member to vote against the deal, said it he opposed the idea of a developer looking to build a 36 floor tower on the current 2-story building site.
“Even with the inclusion of modifications, I had significant concerns with the plan and could not support this. This sale could set off an unwanted pattern of public libraries being sold to developers who would add high-rise buildings onto them,” said Deutsch, whose one-story Sheepshead branch property just off Sheepshead Bay Road would likely bring in a fair penny for the library system should it be sold.
“It is also vital to strongly consider the needs of the residents in these already congested and overpopulated areas that surround our libraries, because they are the people whose day-to-day lives will be most drastically affected. This could set a precedent throughout our City, and I am concerned about what this could mean for my district. Traffic and parking woes would be magnified for those living in the impacted communities. This can be an even bigger problem in a district like mine, that is heavily populated by seniors who frequently rely on emergency medical care, and for whom delays could mean the difference between life and death,” he added.
Deutsch noted that many development projects are as of right, which do not require City Council approval, but for those that do he will continue to utilize his position to protect the interests of his community.
“I have tremendous respect for my City Council colleagues, and this was a difficult decision to make, but ultimately my decision had to consider and reflect how this plan could potentially affect my district in coming years,” concluded Deutsch.
Flatlands City Councilman Jumaane Williams also abstained from voting, but for different reasons.
“I abstained because from my point of view the affordable housing component should have gone further down in the AMI (Area Median Income),” said about the income range of the 114 affordable units of housing that will be built off-site on Atlantic Avenue in Clinton Hill.”I have some concerns that the housing piece of the deal didn’t meet the needs of the area. The make-up of the apartments should have been done differently.”
“I think Steve [Levin] will get a lot more heat then he deserved. The government failed to fund the libraries appropriately. He did a good job of negotiating, but he was in a tough position. The sale had to go through because the library had capital needs, and didn’t have much of a choice about selling it. The lesson in it for me is to fund these public institutions properly.”
