Speaker Menin Announces Plan to Build New Libraries and Create Hundreds of 100% Affordable Homes Across New York City

Council Calls for $60 Million Capital Investment to Launch "New Libraries, New Homes" Initiative Across All Three Library Systems

NEW YORK, NY - New York City Council Speaker Julie Menin today announced a major new initiative to modernize aging public library facilities while creating hundreds of new deeply affordable homes for New Yorkers by building housing above library sites across the city.

As part of ongoing budget negotiations, the Council is calling on the Administration to invest $60 million in capital funding to support the redevelopment of three initial library sites-one in each of New York City's three library systems. If approved, the investment would unlock public-private partnerships capable of delivering state-of-the-art library facilities alongside new, 100% affordable housing at each location.

In consultation with the library systems, the Council has also identified three additional library sites across the city as candidates for future redevelopment through the same model.

"For years, New Yorkers have talked about the promise of building housing above libraries, but only a handful of projects have moved forward. Today, the Council is taking action with a comprehensive plan to unlock deeply affordable housing alongside transformed library facilities across the city," said Speaker Julie Menin. "This proposal represents a smarter, faster, and more cost-effective way to modernize aging public infrastructure while creating much-needed housing. By pairing new library construction with residential development, we can deliver modern community spaces, create new homes for New Yorkers, and maximize the value of public land. This is exactly the kind of innovative and proactive thinking our city needs to address both our housing crisis and our infrastructure needs."

The Council's proposal would begin by adding library capital funding to support the redevelopment of three initial sites with new expanded libraries and affordable housing above:

• Parkchester Branch Library (New York Public Library) in the Bronx in Council Member Amanda Farías' district
• Marcy Branch Library (Brooklyn Public Library) in Brooklyn in Council Member Chi Ossé's district
• Sunnyside Branch Library (Queens Public Library) in Queens in Council Member Julie Won's district

Together, the sites have the potential to create hundreds of new deeply affordable housing units while replacing aging facilities with modern, state-of-the-art libraries designed to serve growing communities for decades to come.

"We thank Speaker Menin and the City Council for prioritizing libraries and supporting a model with a proven record of success," said Brooklyn Public Library President Linda E. Johnson, New York Public Library President Anthony W. Marx, and Queens Public Library President Dennis M. Walcott. "The affordable housing and library redevelopment projects in Sunset Park and Inwood - the first of their kind in New York City - grew out of the libraries' efforts to reimagine how public assets can better serve communities and maximize capital funding. These projects demonstrated the potential of this approach, and we look forward to working with the City to explore these opportunities wherever they align with community needs. The priorities the Speaker outlined are an excellent step toward achieving our mutual goals."

"As Chair of the Council's Committee on Land Use, I know that addressing our housing crisis requires us to think creatively about how we use public assets to meet multiple community needs at once," said Council Member Kevin C. Riley, Chair of the Committee on Land Use. "This proposal demonstrates how we can modernize essential neighborhood institutions while creating hundreds of deeply affordable homes for New Yorkers. Libraries are pillars of our communities, and by pairing new housing with upgraded public facilities, we are maximizing public land, strengthening neighborhoods, and delivering the kind of smart, community-centered development our city needs. I thank Speaker Menin for her leadership on this forward-thinking initiative and look forward to advancing innovative solutions that expand affordability while investing in the infrastructure families rely on every day."

"For years, I have championed a vision for the Parkchester Library that pairs a fully modernized library with new housing opportunities, recognizing that our public assets can help meet multiple community needs at once," said Council Member Amanda Farías. "As the heart of a neighborhood already defined by density, transit access, and connectivity, Parkchester is uniquely positioned to demonstrate how thoughtful development can create new homes while strengthening, not displacing, the institutions residents rely on. This approach allows us to invest in critical public infrastructure, celebrate community identity through public art and design, and preserve libraries as vibrant civic anchors for generations to come. I am proud to see this concept gaining broader momentum and grateful to Speaker Menin for embracing a council-wide approach that builds upon innovative ideas like this to address our housing and infrastructure needs across New York City."

"The Marcy Library has anchored Bed-Stuy for generations, and now it will carry the neighborhood's future too: a reimagined branch with deeply affordable homes rising above it," said Council Member Chi Ossé. "Our housing crisis demands creative solutions, and it is incredible that Bed-Stuy stands among the very first communities identified as a perfect site to build housing above a library. Too many of our neighbors are being priced out of the very blocks where they were raised, and they deserve every opportunity to stay. My office has worked relentlessly to build a record of delivering much-needed affordable housing to this district, and we are nowhere near finished. Public land is one of our most powerful tools, unlocking depths of affordability that market-rate development alone rarely reaches. I look forward to the City Council continuing to lead the way on pro-housing policy, and Bed-Stuy is ready to show the city what that looks like."

"During my time in Council, I have fought for comprehensive neighborhood investments that right the wrongs of past development projects and help create complete communities," said Council Member Julie Won. "Over the last 15 years, only 397 affordable units were built in Sunnyside while rents rose 38.3%. Community infrastructure needs to go hand in hand with housing development; upgrading the Sunnyside Library to build affordable housing above it brings this vision to life," says Council Member Julie Won. "The housing crisis demands creative solutions that maximize public benefit on our publicly owned land. Thank you to Speaker Menin and the Council for your partnership in exploring solutions to expedite the development of permanently affordable housing. I look forward to shaping the vision for the new Sunnyside Library in partnership with the Department of Housing Preservation and Development, Queens Public Library, and our Sunnyside neighbors."

The Council has additionally identified the following sites as strong candidates to explore for future phases of the initiative:

• Francis Martin Branch Library (New York Public Library) in Council Member Pierina Sanchez's district in the Bronx
• Windsor Terrace Branch Library (Brooklyn Public Library) in Council Member Shahana Hanif's district in Brooklyn
• Lefferts Branch Library (Queens Public Library) in Council Member Lynn Schulman's district in Queens

The proposal builds on a model that has successfully delivered new public facilities throughout New York City by partnering with private developers. Under this approach, developers construct both housing and a new public facility as part of a single project. The result is a new facility that can often be delivered at a significantly lower cost and on a much faster timeline than traditional standalone public construction projects. The recent transformation of the Inwood Library from an outdated, overcrowded branch library to a state-of-the-art new library alongside 174 affordable housing units and additional community facilities shows the potential of this model. "The Eliza" delivered a new library at approximately half the capital cost and twice the speed of building a standalone branch library through the City's typical facility construction process, while also providing a public site for 100% affordable housing development - a win-win for fair housing and the city facilities that support strong communities.

When facilities that work well alongside housing such as libraries, senior centers, and childcare centers are in need of upgrades and located on sites suitable for housing development, the Council believes the City should prioritize this model to maximize public benefit and taxpayer dollars.

If capital funding is secured through the budget process, individual sites would proceed through the City's standard public development process, including requests for proposals and the Uniform Land Use Review Procedure (ULURP).

The Council's proposal reflects a broader commitment to expanding housing opportunities while investing in the public institutions that strengthen neighborhoods and improve quality of life for New Yorkers.

"Housing and community space aren't competing priorities," said Gregg Pasquarelli, Principal at SHoP Architects. "It is fantastic to see city leadership push to find resourceful ways to build as much housing supply as possible to help alleviate the crisis we are all living under, and to do it in a way that doesn't ask communities to give something up. Creatively pairing new housing with a fully reimagined library would mean Parkchester gets both more homes and an improved civic space."

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