Prosper council adopts 2025 library master plan, requests board input be incorporated

The Prosper Town Council on March 11 unanimously adopted a 2025 library master plan and directed staff to incorporate the library board’s recommendations into the final document.

Library Director Gary Landeck presented a revised master plan and told the council the update reflects council input and community survey results showing the town’s existing library is undersized. “I want you to imagine a story time where the space itself adapts, not just to the size of the group, but to each participant’s preferences and comfort,” Landeck said, describing a flexible, technology-forward facility designed to serve a growing population.

The library board accepted the report from consultant 720 Design with qualifications and urged the council to consider Option 2 — a 49,000-square-foot facility — as the minimum size to meet expected demand and accreditation standards. Library board member Danielle Phillips told the council the board “has accepted the report and discussed it extensively” and recommended further data collection, alignment with Texas Library Association standards and study of a possible library foundation to help support capital costs. Marybeth Randecker, also speaking for the board, emphasized the board’s view that the facility should be “forward looking” and coordinated with other town services.

The master plan presents three building-size options. The council heard that a newly added smaller option is roughly 33,000 square feet with an estimated project cost of about $34.2 million (the estimate excludes land), while board members advised that 49,000 square feet is the minimum to meet some professional standards. Landeck and the board stressed flexibility: spaces should be adaptable for in-person programs, technology-enabled events and potential co-location with other town facilities such as parks and recreation.

Council members discussed timing and financing. The resolution approved by the council states the master plan “shall not commit the town to Prosper-specific funding levels or implementation strategies” but will guide the town’s vision for library programs and services. The council and board recommended additional feasibility work before final decisions about programming, staffing, budgets and facility design; the board specifically recommended study of a library foundation, though board members said the feasibility study could not be undertaken with public funds and would likely require fundraising or private grants.

Councilmembers also said the plan should move to the bond committee for consideration of funding levels and timing. Several councilmembers voiced support for the plan’s technology-forward approach while acknowledging differing views about ideal building size. The council approved the resolution with language to incorporate the library board’s recommendations into the master plan document.

The council’s action does not allocate construction funding or pick a site. Staff and the board signaled next steps: additional feasibility work, more detailed cost and site analysis, and further public engagement before any bond or budget commitment.