Residents urge Wake County to keep Athens Drive Community Library in neighborhood, warn Tryon Road site would reduce access

Dozens of residents and neighborhood leaders urged the Wake County Board of Commissioners to keep the Athens Drive Community Library in or immediately adjacent to the community it serves, arguing that a proposed Tryon Road site would reduce access for people who rely on walking, biking and public transit.

Speakers described the library as a longstanding community hub. Douglas Reeves said the Tryon Road proposal "would mean effectively closing our community library after 44 years in its current location," and Katie Johnson told commissioners moving the library would "reduce access for many vulnerable populations who are able to access it in its current location." Councilwoman Jane Harrison, representing southwest Raleigh, said: "This library has served my diverse community since 1978" and urged the commission to choose a site within a five-minute walk of the current facility.

Residents and speakers cited transit-access maps and county vulnerability data presented to the board, saying the Tryon Road alternative would serve a materially different, less vulnerable population and would break trust with voters who supported the library bond. Speakers asked the county to negotiate with the community garden site across from Athens Drive High School or identify a nearby replacement that preserves walkability, transit access and equitable service.