REPORT TO PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION AND BOARD OF LIBRARY TRUSTEES
SUBJECT
Title
Recommend that City Council Approve the Preferred Concept for the Lakewood Branch Library and Learning Center Project as shown on Attachment 5 of the Report
Report
BACKGROUND
The Lakewood Branch Library and Learning Center Project (Project) began following a special joint session between City Council and the Board of Library Trustees in July 2012. During that discussion, Council directed staff to explore construction of the first branch library in Sunnyvale at the Lakewood School and park site. Many residents in north Sunnyvale live between two to four miles from any library. As a result, the Lakewood area has the lowest percentage of residents of any Sunnyvale neighborhood with Sunnyvale library cards. There is a significant concentration of seniors and youth in this area. These age groups tend to make the most use of library services and are the most restricted in terms of mobility while having the most to gain from library services. This project will help address this issue.
In early 2017, Council authorized staff to explore a partnership with the Sunnyvale School District (SSD) for the joint development and operation of a branch library at Lakewood (RTC No. 17-0072). This included completion of a feasibility study to be paid jointly by the City and SSD. A formal memorandum of understanding (MOU) with SSD and the Fremont Unified High School District (FUHSD) for construction and operation of a joint-use branch library to be located on the SSD-owned property at the Lakewood Elementary School Site was approved by Sunnyvale City Council in January 2020 (RTC No. 20-0057). The facility described in the MOU, based on results of the feasibility study, would consist of a roughly 20,068 square foot, single-story library and learning center that would include partner space for Sunnyvale and Fremont Unified School Districts, and a community room with small kitchen, and storage. It ...
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