New Yorkers love libraries. They also sorely need affordable housing. In recent years, the city has pursued a series of unconventional projects that combine the two, and more may be on the way.
The speaker of the City Council, Julie Menin, will announce on Thursday a proposal to build affordable housing atop three aging libraries, one each in the Bronx, Queens and Brooklyn. Ms. Menin proposes to direct $60 million toward the modernization of each library and the construction of at least 300 affordable apartments across the three sites, including units for formerly homeless households.
Ms. Menin, a Democrat, said in an interview that the announcement was an example of the more proactive role she wants the Council to take in addressing the city’s housing crisis. She described the combination of better libraries and affordable housing as a “win-win,” saying that the projects would be a cost-effective way to address two of New Yorkers’ top priorities.
“I believe it’s incumbent on the City Council to be a partner on the affordable housing crisis, which is pushing so many New Yorkers out of the city,” she said.
It is not clear whether the administration of Mayor Zohran Mamdani will agree to include the $60 million in the city budget, which is still being negotiated. A spokeswoman for Mr. Mamdani, Dora Pekec, said City Hall would work with the Council “to review co-location of housing and libraries” during the negotiations, noting that Mr. Mamdani, a Democrat whose agenda has focused on affordability, has called for building housing on city-owned land.
Ms. Menin’s proposal covers three libraries: the Parkchester Library in the Bronx, the Marcy Library in Brooklyn and the Sunnyside Library in Queens. She also plans to name three other libraries that may be ripe for housing development in the future: the Francis Martin Library in the Bronx, Lefferts Library in Queens, and the Windsor Terrace Library in Brooklyn.
The projects would be part of a nationwide trend, joining similar efforts in the suburbs of Washington and the cities of Boston, Cleveland and Milwaukee. An October 2025 report from the Urban Institute, a nonprofit research group, found that more than 1,800 apartments had been built across the United States as part of developments combining libraries and housing.
A number of such projects have moved forward in New York City, including at the Sunset Park Library in Brooklyn, the Inwood Library in Manhattan and the Grand Concourse Library in the Bronx.
On Wednesday, officials with the city’s Department of Housing Preservation and Development announced plans for a similar housing project at the 70-year-old New Utrecht Library in Brooklyn.
Public officials like these types of projects for many reasons.
Though new development often faces opposition from neighborhood residents over questions of affordability and gentrification, investing in libraries and affordable housing generally has broad public support.
Because public libraries are on land already owned by the city, it is easier and cheaper to build affordable apartments there. Combining renovations with the construction of new housing can streamline building costs, and city subsidies would keep rents lower than market rates.
The roughly $60 million investment is less than what it would cost to renovate each library without adding housing, according to Ms. Menin’s office.
The details of the developments have not yet been determined, but each project is likely to include about 100 apartments on top of the library, in addition to other amenities like community spaces. The rent for a one-bedroom apartment, for example, could range from about $1,215 to $2,430 — well below the median asking rent on new leases citywide, which is more than $4,100, according to the rental platform StreetEasy.
The three projects have the support of their local Council members, according to Ms. Menin’s office, which could be crucial to the project’s success. Even if the funding is secured, each project needs to have a developer and a finalized building plan, and then come before the City Council for approval.
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