Affordable housing developers and public libraries are finding common ground in a number of communities across the country.
By joining forces, these partners are able to meet their distinct missions in ways they might not otherwise be able to accomplish on their own.
“Libraries are a fantastic community anchor,” says David Block, director of development at Evergreen Real Estate Group, which has completed two developments that combine affordable housing with libraries in Chicago and is at work on another in Denver. “The community can really rally around them and say, 'this is ours, and we value this as a place for kids to learn, as a place for seniors to come together, and as a resource for information.'”
Libraries are vital to many members of a community, including people experiencing homelessness. As unsheltered individuals seek safety and warmth within their walls, some sites have even invited social workers or homeless outreach teams to help connect people with food assistance, housing resources, and counseling.
In the latest chapter of this relationship, these community pillars are being built under the same roof with affordable housing to meet the needs of a wide range of individuals, families, and seniors.
The Urban Institute recently reported that more than 1,800 apartments—many of them affordable units—have been built in developments with libraries since 2000. More projects are on the way.
Blending Books and Homes in New York
In New York City, the site of the Inwood branch library in Manhattan was reimagined to create The Eliza—a 174-unit affordable housing development, a redeveloped 20,000-square-foot public library on two floors, an early childhood center, a STEM robotics center, a sensory room for children with autism, and a home for Emma’s Torch, a nonprofit that provides culinary training for refugees.
The $101 million development, completed in May 2024, was a significant milestone for the community. Demonstrating the need for the housing, The Eliza received a staggering 80,000 applications.
The development team included Ranger Properties, Housing Workshop, Community League of the Heights, Alembic Community Development, and The Children’s Village (CV).
CV is a nonprofit dedicated to the well-being of children, teens, and families, with housing being one component of its mission. “The only dependable predictor in the United States of second-generation success is where you live and where your children go to school,” says Jeremy C. Kohomban, president and CEO.
After successfully opening The Eliza, the organization is working on another development that will bring together affordable housing and a library in one location.
CV and The Field Library are partnering to transform a long-vacant building into a new state-of-the-art library with 22 affordable homes, including housing for former foster-care youths, in downtown Peekskill, New York.
After developing The Eliza, several CV backers floated the idea of developing a project in nearby Westchester County. That led leaders to find the historic Worker’s Comp Building in Peekskill. In a bit of luck, Louie Lanza, a longtime CV supporter, had ties to the vacant building.
Kohomban invited Lanza to visit The Eliza and see what could be accomplished. That led the prominent businessman and philanthropist, as well as others, to get behind developing a project in Peekskill.
CV is leading a $3 million capital campaign to fund the renovation and buildout of the library’s new space. This builds on significant public investment and partnership. In September, New York state Senate majority leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins and state Sen. Pete Harckham announced $1 million in funding for the mixed-use project. In June, the Westchester County Legislature announced an investment of $3.4 million to support CV’s purchase and development of the property. Additional support has come from The Lanza Family Foundation, the Frog Rock Foundation, and Empire State Development.
The private contributions are essential to the development, creating a unique mix of funding that is typically not seen in a lot of affordable housing projects, according to Kohomban, who hopes to break ground on the project by the end of the year.
He adds the approximately $19 million development would not be happening without The Field Library director Dana Hysell and the library’s board members.
The Field Library sees the project as an opportunity to build a more flexible and modern space that can grow with the needs of its community, according to Hysell.
“This collaboration allows us to combine our strengths and create a vital community hub where learning and access to resources are made available to everyone,” she says. “We believe the new library location will serve as a cornerstone for continued growth, education, and connection within our community. This new facility is more than just a building, it is a commitment to our community's bright future."
Kohomban and his team bring their experience developing The Eliza to the Peekskill project.
“The biggest lesson I learned is when you have big, audacious goals and good support from your trustees and donors, you can get anything done,” Kohomban says. “When we first discussed The Eliza and said we don’t just want to build a building—we want to have community spaces, we want to build a library, we want the entire roof to be a garden—we received comments that we were too ambitious and the numbers wouldn’t work. We learned it can absolutely be done. There is no reason for us to continue to think that the only way we can make the numbers work is by building high density without focusing on beauty and community that you and I would want for ourselves.”
The developers also want their new development to be able to serve households of different sizes.
“Our families need one-bedrooms, two-bedrooms, and three-bedrooms,” Kohomban says. “The promise of the second generation is when our children can live in a safe, beautiful home in a neighborhood where they are safe and have a good school. That’s the game-changer. At The Eliza, we built three-bedroom and two-bedroom units and not just studios. Peekskill is a small development, but the plan is to have some two-bedroom units.”
Meeting Needs in Coastal California
In Santa Cruz, California, Eden Housing and For the Future Housing are partnering with local leaders to meet multiple community goals.
They have started construction on a development that will feature 124 affordable homes and a new 41,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art public library to replace an aging facility a few blocks away.
The development of the apartments, which will range from studios to three-bedroom units for families, comes at a time when the Santa Cruz region is regularly cited as the most expensive rental market in the United States, including in the most recent “Out of Reach: The High Cost of Housing” report by the National Low Income Housing Coalition.
The new development will serve residents earning between 30% and 60% of the area median income (AMI). “It’s an opportunity to offer 124 units to people who want to stay Santa Cruz but may not be able to afford other options in the county and city,” says Kate Blessing-Kawamura, director of real estate development at nonprofit Eden Housing.
The project, which will also include a child care center and parking facility to support the downtown retail community, will maximize the use of the city-owned block that previously served as a surface parking lot, adds Jim Rendler, principal and director of development at For the Future Housing.
“With this land, the city wanted to accomplish multiple goals,” he says. “There’s a lot of synergy and benefits to getting efficiency both from the development and the construction side with these combined uses,” he says.
The housing and child care center is estimated to cost about $109 million. The library, parking garage, and commercial space will be another $44.6 million.
It was a big help that the city owned the site. This eliminated the need for developers to assemble multiple parcels and to compete with market-rate firms for land. In this case, the development team’s mission and the city’s mission were aligned, says Blessing-Kawamura.
The development is utilizing multiple funding sources, including low-income housing tax credits (LIHTCs), tax-exempt bonds, state Affordable Housing and Sustainable Communities program funds, and Measure S, a $67 million bond measure approved in 2016 to upgrade local libraries.
Miami Project Breaks Ground
In Miami, Coral Rock Development Group has taken a key step in building a large affordable and workforce housing development that will also feature a public library.
The firm recently finalized a $54 million construction loan with Citibank for the 227-unit Dulce Vida community. Created under Florida’s Live Local Act, the development seeks to help teachers, nurses, first responders, and other essential workers live closer to their jobs.
With a total project cost of approximately $85 million, Dulce Vida is among the first major Live Local Act multifamily developments in Miami-Dade County to advance into full construction financing, according to the development team.
The statewide legislation, adopted in 2023 and updated in 2024, was created to accelerate mixed-income housing near jobs and transit by pairing land-use incentives with long-term affordability commitments.
In addition to the construction loan, the capital stack for the project includes $15 million from the city’s Miami Forever Affordable Housing Bond—structured as a 30-year loan to support affordable and workforce units—and LIHTC equity provided by Affordable Housing Partners.
“Securing this construction financing is the critical step that allows Dulce Vida to move from concept to reality,” says Michael Wohl, principal of Coral Rock Development Group. “Dulce Vida will deliver high-quality apartments with modern amenities that working households can afford, in a location close to Miami’s major job centers.”
Located on a 1.3-acre infill site, Dulce Vida will feature an eight-story building consisting of 70 studio, 128 one-, and 29 two-bedroom units. The development will reserve 40% of its units for households earning up to 60% of the AMI, 35% for those earning up to 100% of the AMI, and 25% for households earning up to 120% of the AMI.
On the ground floor, Dulce Vida will include a new 8,500-square-foot Allapattah branch of the Miami-Dade Public Library System to replace the existing library.
Coral Rock Development is partnering with Miami Bethany Community Services, a longstanding nonprofit church in Allapattah, to lead community outreach and engagement.
Creating a Model in Chicago
Evergreen Real Estate Group and Rocky Mountain Communities will soon break ground on a development that will co-locate 170 affordable housing units and a library in Denver.
Located in the Globeville neighborhood, the development is supported by a 99-year ground lease from the city. The GES Coalition, a local community organization, is also a partner.
This will be Evergreen’s third development to blend the two uses. The Illinois-based firm has completed two projects, Independence Apartments and Library and Northtown Apartments and Library, featuring affordable senior housing and libraries in Chicago.
Former mayor Rahm Emanuel piloted these mixed-use developments during his tenure. A third project was developed by Related Midwest.
Independence and Northtown each have 44 units and a 16,000-square-foot library. For many residents, the libraries are an important resource for information and socialization, according to Evergreen’s Block.
“If they’re living alone, it’s a place to see other people,” he says. “It really is a great connection to the broader world. It’s helpful and healthy for seniors. For families, it’s a great learning resource.”
In many cases, communities finance a new library or renovations by issuing general obligation bonds. In Chicago, Emanuel sought a different approach, so the team leaned into tools that are often used for housing and community development.
The $33.3 million Independence development leveraged various resources, including Chicago Housing Authority capital funds and LIHTC equity. Funding partners included CREA, CIBC Bank, and Chicago Department of Planning and Development.
In Denver, voters approved a $260 million general obligation bond measure in 2021 to drive economic recovery and support infrastructure projects. The RISE bond included funding for libraries and is aiding the Globeville project.
Block says he hopes he can do more of these developments.
“It’s a great model that we think can apply all over the country,” he says.