As of September, sales have begun at One Clinton, a 36-story, 134-unit condo tower in Brooklyn Heights, currently under construction on the former site of a popular Brooklyn Public Library branch location. The developer, Hudson Companies, agreed to allocate much of the property's first three floors for a new library branch. Some of the proceeds from the overall library redevelopment project will also go toward the construction of a 6,500-square-foot ground-floor library in DUMBO -- the 60th branch in the borough.

The actual units at One Clinton will range from one- to five-bedrooms, with high ceilings and picture windows. Amenities will include a children’s playroom, gym, and terrace. The project was designed by Marvel Architects, and will feature ground-floor retail including a Brooklyn Roasting Company and space for various Smorgasburg-affiliated vendors, as well as a 9,000-square-foot STEM classroom for local School District 13.

Yet despite Hudson Companies’ and the Brooklyn Public Library system’s attempts to placate Brooklyn Heights residents with alternative book-borrowing options--among a myriad other essential public services that libraries generally provide--not everyone is satisfied.

Speaking to the New York Times in September, Michael D. D. White, a co-founder of the group Citizens Defending Libraries, said that “the developer is coming to clearly enrich [itself] at the expense of the public” and “memories are not going to go away,” an acknowledgement of the impact this particular branch has had on the neighborhood since its construction in 1962.

Additionally, the nonprofit Love Brooklyn LIbraries has attempted legal action to halt the project, filing a lawsuit in 2016 that argued the condos would alter the character of the community via the loss of valuable public property. Although a judge ruled against the group, Love Brooklyn Libraries is appealing that decision.

However, there are many proponents of the project who feel that the sale and redevelopment of the One Clinton site will help fund necessary repairs throughout the entire Brooklyn library system. Supporters such as Brooklyn Community Board Two and the Brooklyn Heights Association, which have opposed other luxury residential developments in the past, have spoken out in favor of One Clinton after much consideration. Such reasons for backing the development include the sleek design of the new library (set to open in 2020), and the 114 units of affordable housing that Hudson Companies is developing simultaneously in nearby Clinton Hill.

Mike Odenthal is a staff writer at The Cooperator.