Council approves updated concept design for new East Palo Alto Library

The East Palo Alto City Council voted to approve the updated concept design and space programming for a new 24,000-square-foot East Palo Alto Library, endorsing the recommended parking ratio of one space per 400 square feet and finding the action consistent with the city’s RBD plan.

Senior engineer (speaker 12) introduced the item and architects from Knoll and Tam presented an updated concept design informed by multilingual community outreach. The design emphasizes outdoor space (a maker-yard plaza, family and children’s gardens and a second-floor rooftop reading terrace) and a flexible interior program: a community lobby/gathering space, children's area, maker space, teen area and a mix of meeting and study rooms. The architects outlined a mass-timber structural option and a sawtooth roof form intended to maximize daylight.

The presentation included a detailed cost check: "This is coming in at 32,500,000, with a $43,800,000 project budget," the lead architect said, citing construction-line items, a 15% design contingency and a $3.2 million escalation hold tied to a midpoint-of-construction target in 2027. County library staff and the foundation described fundraising plans: the foundation intends to launch a capital campaign and the county has roughly $2.5 million in library JPA funds earmarked for furniture, fixtures and equipment. County library staff said the foundation had earlier set a $10,000,000 goal when earlier cost assumptions were lower; staff expect to pursue a mix of city funds, SMCL funds, grants, private donations and possibly a bond to fill the remaining gap.

Public commenters praised the project and offered partnership ideas: one resident offered a potential donation of more than 2,000 Martin Luther King papers and urged a dedicated space. Council members pressed the architects on practical details — drop-off design, parking counts (the proposed 1:400 ratio produces 37 required spaces and allows up to 42 on the site), first-floor ceiling height (about 16 feet floor-to-floor), study-room sizing and the feasibility of mass timber from a bidding/contractor-competition standpoint. Architects confirmed the site design includes a timed drop-off area adjacent to the entry plaza and said plaza/landscape treatments could permit food trucks or a future kiosk, though a full tenant-run café is not currently part of the base design.

The council approved the resolution by voice vote. Staff will return to council as the design advances through 30% design, construction documents, bidding and, if funded, construction.