Brooklyn Heights Public Library1

At its meeting tonight, Brooklyn Community Board 2 will vote on the controversial plan to sell the Brooklyn Heights Library site to a private developer, Hudson Companies, which aims to build a 36-story condominium tower that will include a new library on the ground floor.

As we’ve covered extensively, there are strong partisans on both sides of this one: Those who call it a prime opportunity to upgrade the ailing facility at 280 Cadman Plaza West and generate much-needed cash for the borough’s libraries and those who call it an unconscionable handoff of public land to a private developer.

Whichever way the board goes, “CB2’s vote will be momentous,” judges the group Citizens Defending Libraries, which strongly opposes the $52,000,000 sale, believing it would “set the table for future developers to feast on public assets.”

The issue comes to the full board after the Land Use Committee voted in favor last month. Whatever the board does, its vote will be non-binding; the matter will next be subject to the scrutiny of the Brooklyn Borough President’s office, which has scheduled a public hearing at Borough Hall on August 18.

Tonight’s meeting is at 6 p.m. at St. Francis College, in the Founders Hall, at 180 Remsen Street.

Brooklyn Heights Library Coverage [Brownstoner]
Rendering of proposed library tower via Hudson Companies


What's Your Take? Leave a Comment

  1. Why was crowd’s spontaneous “Shame on you” chant when CB2 voted right on target?

    That and links to all the other coverage here:

    Brooklyn Community Board 2 Votes To Sell and Shrink Brooklyn Heights Library, Largely In the Dark, With Much Manipulation And Strong-Arming In Background- Developer’s Says He’s “Super-duper Excited” And Thankful

    http://citizensdefendinglibraries.blogspot.com/2015/07/brooklyn-community-board-2-votes-to.html

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