South Pasadena library/community center site plan moves into public engagement phase

Kathy Billings, director of the South Pasadena Public Library, briefed the Natural Resources and Environmental Commission on a site-plan project that will study whether to renovate the existing library and senior center or build a new combined library and community center in Library Park.

The presentation explained that the site-plan phase will assess space needs, accessibility and historic preservation constraints, and produce a footprint-level site plan that could be used to pursue funding and inform later design work.

Billings said the library building dates from 1983 (with a 1930-facing community room) and has accumulated deferred maintenance and functional limits that hamper modern library and senior programming. "We're really just in a very preliminary, needs assessment and kind of fact finding phase," Billings said, adding that the site plan is intended to document community needs and provide material to potential funders and the City Council.

The project team includes the architecture firm Group 4 (consultant for the site-plan phase). Staff said the site-plan work will (1) document program and space needs for both library and senior services; (2) gather community input; and (3) produce a site plan showing potential footprints and high-level cost guidance. Billings said subsequent phases — funding analysis, design and construction — would follow only if the council elects to pursue them.

Staff outlined a two-round public-engagement program for this phase. Round one is an online visual survey and several in-person workshops and kiosk events; the survey was described as open through May/June with a second round of concept review planned for summer. Specific outreach dates and venues cited in the presentation included community workshops on April 9 and April 10, a presence at Farmers Market events and the Eclectic Music Festival, and an online project website with a FAQ section.

Commissioners and other speakers raised questions about funding, timeline, whether the site plan would be treated as a deliverable requiring council action, and whether the architects were considering nearby development and downtown plan changes. Billings responded that the site plan itself will be information for council consideration in October, and that it is intended to support fundraising and to inform design if council approves further steps. She said the consultants are reviewing the downtown specific plan, housing element and in-process residential projects to ensure the site plan engages future changes along Mission Street and the park frontage.

Commission members and attendees suggested topics for the survey and later phases, including: flexible multi-use meeting spaces, greater accessibility, designing for intergenerational use, community resilience functions (backup energy and emergency use), and a possible tool-lending library. Billings said the survey includes a question about sustainability and shared-use items and that space requirements for a tool-lending program could be considered in the next phases if community response supports it.

The presentation noted cultural-heritage constraints for any site work: the Morton Bay fig tree in Library Park is a local cultural landmark, and the portion of the building that faces El Centro dates to 1930 and is on the local cultural heritage list; those elements will be integrated into any site-plan options. Billings emphasized a desire for a flexible facility that could serve the community for decades and for broad outreach to nontraditional users (park users, parents, and seniors as well as regular library patrons).

Next steps: staff will continue Round 1 engagement (survey and in-person workshops), the consultant will analyze results and return concepts for Round 2 review this summer, and the site plan is scheduled to be presented to City Council in October for consideration.