Mayor Adams Celebrates Housing Milestone Ahead of Schedule, With Plans to Redevelop Bronx Library Into New Family-Friendly Housing And State-Of-The-Art Library

April 9, 2024

Announced in State of the City, ‘24 in 24’ Plan Aims to Advance 24 Affordable Housing Projects on Public Sites in 2024, Creating or Preserving Over 12,000 Units of Housing

Adams Administration Has Already Advanced Housing on More Than Twelve Public Sites in 2024, Moving Ahead of Schedule on Mayor Adams’ ‘24 in 24’ Plan

NEW YORK – New York City Mayor Eric Adams today celebrated a major milestone towards the city’s ambitious “24 in 24” plan to advance 24 affordable housing projects on public sites in 2024 that will ultimately create or preserve over 12,000 units of housing. Delivering on a key promise in Mayor Adams’ State of the City address, the city has already advanced — ahead of schedule — housing on more than half the public sites it committed to moving forward on in 2024. The 13th development, the Grand Concourse branch of the New York Public Library, today started community engagement for an affordable housing project and a new state-of-the-art library. The new development will create much-needed family-friendly housing for Bronx residents and further the administration’s commitment to addressing the housing shortage crisis by building more affordable housing across the five boroughs. 

“To meet the moment of addressing a historic housing crisis, we must use every tool possible to create more affordable housing in our city and build our way towards a better future,” said Mayor Adams. “Our administration continues to innovate and explore every possible piece of land in our city, especially on our public sites, to create or preserve more housing units. Thanks to a multi-agency collaboration, we are already more than halfway on delivering critically needed housing to New Yorkers through our ‘24 in 24’ plan. While the city is doing its part, we continue our call on our partners in Albany to fulfill their duty and pass legislation needed to allow our administration to build the housing New Yorkers need.” 

“The Adams administration is dedicated to solving our city’s decades-long housing crisis, and reaching the halfway milestone of activating 24 public sites for housing, well ahead of schedule, is proof of that dedication,” said Deputy Mayor for Housing, Economic Development, and Workforce Maria Torres-Springer. “Delivering on a vision born in Women Forward NYC to provide even more resources families need to thrive, the New York Public Library’s Grand Concourse branch will also bring Bronx families closer to quality, affordable housing and state-of-the-art library facilities.”

“I’m excited to see the New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development and New York Public Library kick off community engagement for the ultimate redevelopment of the Grand Concourse library into a future, state-of-the-art library that also provides much needed affordable housing within the community,” said Executive Director for Housing Leila Bozorg. “Not only does this mark the halfway point of the mayor’s commitment to advance 24 public site developments in 2024, but it’s also a great example of how public sites can be reimagined to meet the ever-growing and changing needs of our neighborhoods.”

“We can solve the housing crisis and we can enrich neighborhoods — it just takes creativity, unwavering dedication to our communities, and more efforts like the Grand Concourse library project,” said New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) Commissioner Adolfo Carrión Jr. “Together, with the New York Public Library and the Bronx community, we’re transforming a 65-year-old library branch into a modern, vibrant facility alongside new affordable apartments. We’re not just here to stem a crisis, we’re here to create homes and make life better for all New Yorkers.”

“Housing is not a luxury,” said New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) Chief Executive Officer Lisa Bova-Hiatt. “Housing is a fundamental need and directly affects the quality of life for all New Yorkers. We commend Mayor Adams and his administration for their ongoing dedication and work in advancing projects to preserve and build new affordable housing stock across New York City through the ‘24 in 24’ plan.”

“We need more housing everywhere right now in New York City, and through the ‘24 in 24’ plan, the Adams administration is taking action by turning city assets into housing for New Yorkers,” said New York City Economic Development (NYEDC) Corporation President & Chief Executive Officer Andrew Kimball. “NYCEDC is thrilled to be working alongside our partners in government and the private sector to achieve this ambitious housing goal and look forward to welcoming families to this former library turned housing complex along the Grand Concourse in the near future.”

 “Libraries offer a wealth of opportunities in free and welcoming spaces that support the needs and dreams of New Yorkers,” said New York Public Library President Anthony W. Marx. “The New York Public Library is looking forward to working with the city on this innovative proposal to build a state-of-the-art Grand Concourse branch that can adapt and evolve with the community. We are excited to be part of a project that includes 100 percent affordable housing at a time when our city is in the midst of a housing crisis. This process is just in the beginning stages, and we are eager to hear from our patrons about what they would like to see at their new library and look forward to updating everyone on what we learn.”

The existing library branch was built in 1959 and has served the Bronx for 65 years. The redevelopment of the site will be initiated through a competitive process that asks developers to respond to a set of goals and guidelines that reflect community priorities. HPD has launched a webpage with additional information about how community members can get more engaged in the process. HPD and the New York Public Library will begin outreach in the community this spring. In the meantime, the library branch will remain open to serve the public until construction begins.

Prior to today’s announcement the administration has advanced housing on 12 other public sites:

Brooklyn:

• 516 Bergen Street: HPD selected a development team to build approximately 116 units.
• Bay View Houses: NYCHA is preserving 1,610 units through the Permanent Affordability Commitment Together (PACT) program.

• Coney Island Houses: NYCHA started community engagement ahead of a resident vote to preserve 530 units.
• Unity Towers: NYCHA started community engagement ahead of a resident vote to preserve 192 units.

 Bronx:

• 351 Powers Avenue: HPD selected a development team to build approximately 90 units.
• 1388-1400 Stebbins Avenue: HPD released a Request for Proposals (RFP) to build approximately 130 units.
• Bronx River Addition: NYCHA commenced resident voting on preserving 133 units.

 Manhattan:

• 2460-2478 Second Avenue: NYCEDC selected a lead consultant for the education and engagement campaign for the Harlem African Burial Ground Memorial where the city is advancing approximately 730 units.
• 4095 9th Avenue: HPD launched community engagement to build approximately 570 units.
• Campos Plaza II: NYCHA is preserving 224 units through the PACT program.

 Queens:

• 5421 Center Boulevard: HPD launched community engagement to build approximately 850 units.

 Staten Island:

• 30 Canal Street: NYCEDC released an RFP seeking proposals to build approximately 550 units.

Today’s announcement also delivers on another key promise made in Mayor Adams’ State of the City speech with the ambitious goal of making New York City the most women-forward city in the United States. Unveiled in January 2024, “Women Forward NYC: An Action Plan for Gender Equity” invests more than $43 million in initiatives to help all women, including through additional place-based housing strategies, like co-located housing with library facilities, that support the needs of families.

Mayor Adams has taken bold steps to address the city’s severe housing crisis and achieve the administration’s moonshot goal of creating 500,000 homes over the next decade. The Adams administration introduced “City of Yes for Housing Opportunity” to add “a little more housing in every neighborhood.” City of Yes for Housing Opportunity is the most pro-housing set of zoning changes in New York’s history. These changes includes lifting arbitrary and costly parking mandates for new residential construction; implementing the Universal Affordability Preference, a bonus allowing roughly 20 percent more housing in developments, so long as the additional homes are affordable; developing more transit-oriented development and town center zoning, which would allow three-to-five story apartment buildings to be built near transit and along commercial corridors; and allowing homeowners to add accessory homes, like backyard cottages.

To accelerate housing production and deliver relief to New Yorkers, the Adams administration has also advanced a number of creative solutions, including laying out an office conversion accelerator to advance conversions more quickly; unveiling new proposed rules to streamline approvals for sustainable housing; and debuting several pilot programs to help fund the creation of accessory dwelling units, help move New Yorkers out of shelters and into renovated apartments, and help fuel mixed-income developments in neighborhoods across the city; among other innovative efforts.

“In a city where half of renters are rent-burdened and construction is not keeping pace with demand, we must be creative and utilize every square inch of available space to build more affordable housing. Redeveloping the New York Public Library Grand Concourse branch, part of the larger plan to advance two dozen affordable housing projects this year, puts us on track to deliver the affordable housing New Yorkers need,” said New York State Assemblymember Jenifer Rajkumar. “Today, we begin the construction of family-friendly housing coupled with a state-of-the-art library, which will provide much-needed affordable units and create a community hub of activity and learning. The construction is a component of the moonshot goal of building 500,000 new housing units, and I am partnering with Mayor Adams to pass a budget in Albany with the policies we need to end the housing crisis and create more affordable housing for New Yorkers.”

“Confronting our city’s housing crisis requires creative solutions that utilize all possible avenues to create new homes,” said New York City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams. “That’s why in my State of the City address, I expressed support for building more housing on public land and in partnership with our city’s libraries. I'm encouraged by the city’s efforts to move forward on these projects that can reduce the housing shortage impacting all New Yorkers. Pairing new housing development with the renovation of library branches has proven to be successful, and the start of community engagement for this proposal to build new affordable housing with a state-of-the-art Grand Concourse library branch is another step forward. It is critical for the city to support library branches and improvements to them that help better serve New Yorkers.”

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