The Brooklyn Heights library redevelopment deal under investigation for being awarded to a de Blasio pal who was outbid for the site includes a provision requiring the Department of Education to lease the basement and build a huge science lab there, The Post has learned.
But the DOE — which has to foot the unspecified costs of leasing the basement and building the lab — never asked for it, according to a source familiar with the negotiations.
“This was not their idea. They didn’t want it,” the source said. “If they were going to be forced to take space like this, they wanted a gym.”
Steve Levin, a city councilman aligned with Mayor Bill de Blasio, pushed for inclusion of the 9,000-square-foot teaching lab as part of a rezoning that will let developer Hudson Companies build a 36-story condo tower atop a new, $9 million branch of the Brooklyn Public Library.
On Sunday, The Post exclusively reported that US Attorney Preet Bharara and Manhattan DA Cyrus Vance Jr. were probing the Hudson Companies’ $52 million purchase of the site.
Two companies, Toll Brothers and Second Development Services, offered the city more money — $53 million and $58 million, respectively.
The probe is one of several targeting the de Blasio administration, which is also under investigation for fundraising efforts involving the 2014 state Senate elections and the mayor’s since-shuttered Campaign for One New York nonprofit.
Last week, de Blasio declared a founder of the BerlinRosen consulting firm — which handles public relations for the Brooklyn Public Library — one of five “agents of the city” in a bid to exempt their communications with him from disclosure under the state Freedom of Information Law.
Levin acknowledged Sunday that he was the man behind the lab plan, saying it “would be a great addition to Downtown Brooklyn.”
“The DOE didn’t really object to it. They went back and looked at it and said, ‘Yes it’s possible,’ and we worked through for how much space would be viable,” he added.
A DOE spokeswoman said “This project has support from . . . community members, and we’ll continue to work together as we develop the lab and ensure it serves students.”
Additional reporting by Bruce Golding
Here’s why New Yorkers don’t respect de Blasio: