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Mid Continent Public Library proposes 68,000 sq ft headquarters at Independence Square; council to consider LOI Dec. 15
Summary
Mid Continent Public Library presented a concept this evening to relocate its administrative headquarters to Independence Square: a roughly 68,000-square-foot building with public access, community room and plaza. Council will consider a letter of intent at its Dec. 15 meeting.
Mid Continent Public Library Director and CEO Aaron Mason on Dec. 8 outlined a plan to relocate the library system’s administrative headquarters to the City Hall parcel at Independence Square, proposing a roughly 68,000-square-foot building with publicly accessible space and an outdoor Independence Plaza.
The presentation to the City Council study session emphasized operational efficiencies from remaining centrally located in Independence and a design that would open the building to the public for the first time. "Our current headquarters is administrative only with no access to the public and our proposal today will show you areas where the public would have access to our building," Mason said. Architects from BNIM, James Pfeiffer and Josh Herold, walked council members through early schematics that include a community room adjacent to the plaza, a green roof area and an obscured receiving dock intended to minimize visible delivery activity.
Why it matters: the project would free the library’s existing parcel for other development in the downtown master plan adopted in December 2024 and is presented as a catalyst for additional private investment around the Square. Proponents on the council praised the firm’s past work and said the proposal could set the tone for future redevelopment.
Details and next steps: the schematic shows a first floor at grade facing Independence Plaza, and lower-level office and operations space in the portion of the site that slopes down. Mason said the headquarters would house about 150 employees, drawn from the three counties the library serves, with the majority from Jackson County. The design concept accommodates three box-truck spaces and two tractor-trailer receiving spots; Mason characterized delivery frequency as light, with most routes returning by midday.
City staff said negotiations with the library will continue and that an agenda item on Dec. 15 will present a letter of intent to move the concept from conversation to formal LOI negotiations. Council members also discussed reimagining the site’s Japanese sister-city garden as part of a plaza plan and signaled plans for follow-up meetings with staff and community partners.
What’s not yet decided: financing, formal agreements and permitting remain pending. Mason and BNIM described the materials palette and massing as early concepts to be refined to respect the historic context of the Square.
The council is scheduled to consider a letter of intent at its Dec. 15 meeting; staff will return with negotiated terms if council directs.
