South Pasadena seeks public input on Library Park Campus site plan to guide funding and design

Library Director Kathy Billings told the South Pasadena Public Safety Commission on April 14 that the city has launched a site‑planning project for the Library Park Campus to assess needs for a potential combined library, senior center and community center.

Billings said the existing library and senior center facing Oxley Street are “more than 43 years old now” and lack modern capacity and accessibility. She told commissioners the city’s consultant is compiling facility studies, ADA and condition assessments, and public input to produce a site plan that can be used to pursue funding.

The project includes two rounds of public engagement: an initial needs survey and outreach already under way (online and at farmers markets and festivals), and a second round in the summer to review concepts the consultant develops. Billings said the consultant’s deliverable will define spaces and approximate square footage rather than provide final architectural renderings, with a final site plan scheduled to go to the City Council in October.

Billings identified several specific constraints and goals: preserving the 1930s community room that faces El Centro Drive, protecting historically significant trees and landscaping, improving accessibility, increasing meeting and shared program space, and designing a flexible, climate‑friendly building expected to last several decades. She noted the senior center’s current hours and underused kitchen as an example of existing inefficiencies the site plan might address.

Commissioners raised public‑safety and programming concerns. Commissioner [name withheld in transcript] asked about staff safety because many library employees are women; Billings said new designs typically include lower shelving and more open sightlines, better public lobbies and camera systems to improve visibility and safety. Commissioners also asked about funding; Billings said the site plan is a first step to demonstrate community needs to potential public and private funders but did not identify specific funding sources.

Billings encouraged commissioners and residents to complete the online survey (project materials and an FAQ are posted on the city website's Library Park Campus project page) and invited the commission to review concepts when the consultant returns in the summer.

The presentation produced no formal action at the commission; it was an informational briefing and request for engagement.