Brower Park Library

crownheightster

http://www.brownstoner.com/blog/2015/03/brooklyn-public-library-plans-affordable-housing-in-clinton-hill/?ic_source=ic-featured-frontpage-top

So, I've been reading a lot of articles about the Brooklyn Public Library's plans to upgrade their branch libraries by offering developers air rights in exchange for ground floor lending libraries. Personally, I think that is a great idea. They are trying to do this in Brooklyn Heights, Sunset Park, and now Clinton Hill.

I was walking past the Brower Park Library branch on St Marks, and I think it is a strong possibility that this branch could go the same way. It is a one story building on a street of 8 story buildings (or 6 story). Another tall building with more residential units would work with the streetscape and the zoning. And the branch is older, not modernized, and lacks an accessible entrance. 

What do you think? Would you welcome this?

whynot_31

I would see if the new branch could have a 99 year lease in the new building that replaced it.

This would ensure that the present generation did not reap all of the gains from its sale.

ehgee

99 year lease? I'm not opposed to putting a new library in an apartment building, but the library should maintain ownership of its land and offer a ground lease to developers, rather than the other way around.

whynot_31

I would not want to be a tenant in a building that the library owns and/or supervises.     I do not think the library has a the skill set to become a good landlord/LLC/HDFC.

homeowner

You could do a ground lease that passes all of the O&M responsibilities on to the tenant. It's not unheard of and the library would retain O&M responsibility for their own space only. In that model, the library might have responsibility for things like the sidewalk and exterior lighting, but everything inside the four walls is the developer's responsibility.

whynot_31

That could work. You might need a variance to make property mixed use.

However, everyone would want to be heard, and it could become contentious. It might be easiest to wait until the branch was in a state of complete disrepair.

homeowner

I don't know that it would be considered mixed use. I'm old so my memory is fading, but I think it can be developed as residential with extended FAR because the ground floor is being used for community/public space. RE folks out there, any one have any knowledge of the thing that lapping at the edge of my brain?