Central library plan calls for more creative, kid-friendly space
Report favours $86M new build over renovations
By Emma Jackson
Ottawa West News, June 3, 2015
The Ottawa Public Library is getting creative as it continues to hash out its central library plan.
A new framework, which the library’s board will consider on June 9, is the culmination of a year of research and consultation into what residents want to see in a new and improved main branch.
Staff is recommending it be built brand new somewhere between Bayview Road and King Edward Avenue, with a price tag of about $86 million.
That same amount could pay for a complete overhaul – staff suggest renovating the current location could cost between $46 and $86 million – but they argue it’s simply too small to accommodate the needs of a modern main branch.
Central libraries built elsewhere in North American are less a warehouse for books and more a community gathering space, and estimated space requirements for a city like Ottawa is about 130,000 square feet. The Metcalfe Street location is only 109,000, with considerable limitations when it comes to layout, lighting and maintenance.
The preferred city-owned spot for a new building is 557 Wellington St., just west of the Albert and Bronson intersection. It’s in the downtown core, close to rapid transit and part of a priority development area, which makes it ideal.
But the door’s not closed to building on privately-owned land with similar benefits in partnership with a developer, either. Those details could still take several years to confirm.
What is clear is the need for more space to be creative, as well as extra room for kids and teens, according to library business manager Elaine Condos.
“The overall space is about the same size as what was proposed last year,” said Condos. “But because of the public input and a review of the trends and best practices, there were some key changes.”
The ratio between publicly accessible space and private corporate space for staff in the 132,000 square foot plan has shifted in the public’s favour, she said. Creative space has grown the most, ballooning from a suggested 1,500 square feet in last year’s report to more than 3,500 sq ft today. That could include things like film and music studios, a maker space or a “messy lab” where people can get their hands dirty doing art and other workshops.
Space for a children’s discovery centre has also grown from 6,000 to more than 10,300 sq ft, and the teen zone has jumped from 2,500 to 4,000.
Consultants working with library staff predicted those areas were going to be too small in the original plan, Condos said, and that was borne out in the public consultations held earlier this year.
More than 200 residents attended a workshop at city hall in March, and hundreds more provided input online or through in-person activities at the 40-year-old Main branch on Metcalfe Street.
Ideas for the new building ranged from in-house coffee shops to a public laudromat, but the common themes made it clear most people are looking for a place they can be creative, come together and access learning materials.
The new plan also includes a small cafe, 6,500 sq ft for a geneology centre and 12,000 sq ft worth of community meeting space.
NEXT STEPS
The library board will consider the program framework, building options and the tendering process – as well as $800,000 to continue this year’s planning – on June 9.
From there, council will meet in July approve its strategic initiatives, of which the central library is one.
Then it’s a three-year process to nail down partnership opportunities, location, programming details and budget, Condos said.
As soon as council approves the library as a strategic priority, Condos said staff can get to work gathering even more information about how the city might go about constructing the new library. That will include doing site investigations and researching funding and grant opportunities.
That process should wrap up by the end of 2016, when staff will go back to the library board for approval so it can start screening interested developers by fall 2016. Staff will finally begin accepting requests for proposals by early 2017, and Condos said construction will likely start in 2018.
“It seems like a long time, but there’s a lot of work to do,” Condos said.
http://www.ottawacommunitynews.com/n...riendly-space/
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An odd choice of sites, IMO. It's not really "downtown", not that it necessarily has to be, but it's not really central either, nor is it close to any schools or offices, where most users would come from. It is sort of close to a new LRT station, but where are the shops and cafes? where is the pedestrian traffic flow that should be all around a library?
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