The Brooklyn Public Library has just released its top seven proposals for redevelopment of the Brooklyn Heights Branch at Cadman Plaza West and Tillary, which will be a mixed-use condo building with the library on the ground floor. The BPL and the city’s Economic Development Corporation issued a request for proposals in June, and received such a large number of proposals that it became one of the most competitive RFPs EDC has ever issued, library officials said yesterday.

Each proposal was designed by a different team of developers and architects (who remain anonymous for now). Designs vary widely but had to include affordable housing and at least 20,000 square feet of library space with no more than 5,000 square feet below grade. Developers are also required to identify and pay for interim space for the library. Some designs include rooftop parks, others have retail space or cafes, but they are all ultimately high-rise condo developments. After construction finishes, the library portion of the building will still be owned by the city in the form of a condo. The new library will be larger, open seven days a week and offer more space for collections, technology, programs and quiet study than the current branch, according to library execs. All the designs are as-of-right according to the site’s current zoning and FAR and will have to be vetted through the lengthy land use review process. Officials estimate the project will be ULURP-certified by late 2014.

Library execs said the sale of the existing branch to a private developer will generate much-needed funding for the Brooklyn Public Library system, which needs an estimated $300,000,000 in maintenance and repairs across all of its branches. Click through the jump to see all the renderings and details for each proposal.

Brooklyn Public Library Evaluating Proposals for Downtown Branch Sale, Development [Brownstoner]
City Releases RFP for Brooklyn Heights Library Site [Brownstoner]

Click to enlarge the renderings:


What's Your Take? Leave a Comment

  1. You re doing just what Anthony Comwell, Josh Nackowitz and the Bloomberg pooles want you to do look at the design and forget the deal. the deal is a developer give away that probably will be ended with the new administration. Don’t be fooled a pig , is a pig is a pig. Ask Josh Nackowitz

  2. The proposed library space in D, C and G look closest to the first image, which approximates what the library has looked like more recently. I like that A has more space for the library itself. C will re-use the bas-reliefs from the old building but D seems best in blending in with the neighboring building, and its balance of retail is reasonable. I would put in 100 apartment units, with 10 of them fitting the affordable housing profile.

1 2