See plan to redevelop Bronx public library with 100+ affordable homes

A plan to transform a New York Public Library branch in the Bronx has been unveiled, bringing more than 100 affordable apartments atop a new, state-of-the-art library. The city on Thursday announced the selection of Settlement Housing Fund and Kalel Companies to redevelop the Grand Concourse library at 155 East 173rd Street into a mixed-use tower with 113 affordable homes and a new 17,500-square-foot library facility. Designed to be environmentally friendly, the development, dubbed The Heartwood, is expected to meet Passive House standards, the first NYPL branch to do so.

First announced in April 2024, the project falls under Mayor Eric Adams’ “24 in 24” plan, which aimed to advance 24 affordable housing projects on public sites or create and preserve more than 12,000 affordable housing units in 2024.

The existing multi-story brick-and-masonry library, built in 1959, requires critical repairs. It sits on a nearly 8,900-square-foot lot, about three blocks from the B and D subway lines, as 6sqft previously reported.

Developed through the Grand Concourse Library and Affordable Housing Community Visioning Report, the request for proposals, and input from more than 270 community members, local elected officials, and community organizations, the new library will serve as a vital community hub for West Bronx residents for years to come.

“The new Grand Concourse branch will provide patrons with a state-of-the-art library and the Bronx with more housing options amid a city-wide shortage,” Anthony W. Marx, president and CEO of The New York Public Library, said.

“This corner of the Bronx is full of dedicated library patrons and the new branch will offer greater access to books, technology, and programs that help this neighborhood thrive. We are happy to continue our productive partnership with the City to improve branches and add to the city’s housing supply.”

The new facility will include a double-height adult reading room, modern technology, and a variety of multipurpose meeting and study spaces.

A brick lattice facade and a second-floor skylight will fill the new branch with warm, natural light, while the historic Lorrie Goulet sculpture from the existing branch will be preserved and reinstalled above the new entrance.

The tower will also include three outdoor terraces, community rooms, a teaching kitchen with tenant programming, a fitness center, bike storage, and in-building laundry facilities. The building will include an emergency generator to provide backup power to amenities spaces, which can alternatively serve as cooling centers during extreme heat or power outages.

Throughout the public outreach process, community members emphasized the need for truly affordable housing that reflects typical incomes in the area, particularly for low-income families with children, seniors, and those receiving public assistance in the Mount Eden neighborhood.

At least 15 percent of the new homes will be set aside for formerly homeless families and individuals, while the remaining units will serve a range of incomes and be available through NYC’s housing lottery system.

Respondents also highlighted the need for more accessible spaces, diverse and multilingual programming, dedicated areas for children and teens, additional quiet and study spaces, and temporary facilities and services during the library’s redevelopment.

The development team includes Settlement Housing Fund, a nonprofit with prior experience in Mount Eden, along with Kalel Companies, Bernheimer Architecture, and Levenbetts Architects.

Moving forward, the team will collaborate with HPD to share project updates with community stakeholders, secure necessary public approvals, including a rezoning and the transfer of city-owned property, and obtain financing for both the development and a temporary library space before construction begins.

The Heartwood falls under the city’s “Living Libraries” program, which pairs modernized library facilities with affordable housing to help address the city’s housing shortage. Other projects in the program include the planned redevelopment of the New Utrecht Library in Bensonhurst and the Upper West Side’s Bloomingdale Library, which will feature 850 housing units.

“The Grand Concourse project reflects the ingenuity of this administration in responding to the city’s housing crisis while reimagining our libraries as state-of-the-art community hubs,”
Deputy Mayor for Housing, Economic Development, and Workforce Adolfo Carrión Jr., said.

“By combining 113 affordable homes with a modern library designed for learning, technology, and connection, this project brings critical resources to my home borough of the Bronx.”

The city’s first 100-percent affordable housing and library development opened in Sunset Park in November 2023, and a similar project in Inwood opened in June 2024.

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