Brooklyn Heights Library redevelopment hearing Tuesday night at Borough Hall

August 18, 2015 By Mary Frost Brooklyn Daily Eagle

Hudson Companies Inc. hopes to build a 36-story residential tower, shown center right, on the site of the Brooklyn Heights Library. Rendering courtesy of Marvel Architects

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Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams is set to host a Uniform Land Use Review Procedure (ULURP) public hearing on Tuesday, Aug. 18 at 6 p.m. on the controversial redevelopment proposal for the Brooklyn Heights Library.

Those who wish to comment are advised to arrive earlier to sign in.

Hudson Companies Inc. hopes to build a 36-story residential tower with roughly 139 units and ground floor retail, replace the current library in a condo space on the ground floor and below ground, and construct 114 affordable-housing units in Clinton Hill.

Adams will hear testimony from community stakeholders, including the Brooklyn Public Library (BPL) and local residents, regarding their views on the pending application.

At a stormy Community Board 2 (CB2) meeting in July, the board approved the plan, with caveats.

CB2’s added provisions would create a reserve fund of at least $2 million for future capital repairs, require the same usable floor space as the existing branch, and create a Community Benefits Agreement and a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU).

BPL says the branch has a problematic HVAC system and needs $9 million in repairs. BPL President Linda Johnson said in June that the $52 million brought in by the sale of the property will enable BPL to fit out a new, 21,500-square-foot Brooklyn Heights branch and to fund the capital needs of at least four other branch libraries in Brooklyn.