17 November 1999

SEATTLE LIBRARY BOARD TO NARROW SITE POSSIBILITIES FOR NEW BALLARD LIBRARY AT NOV. 23 MEETING

The Seattle Public Library board of trustees will narrow its list of potential sites for a new 15,000-square-foot Ballard library at 4:30 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 23, at the Central Library, 1000 4th Ave., Lee Auditorium. Nine sites are currently under consideration. The Library Board will be accepting public comment at the meeting.

The current library is one of the system's busiest branches and has outgrown its 7,296-square-foot program area. Voters approved money for a new $6.5 million facility in November 1998. The building will feature more space for books, enlarged areas for children and young adults, added computer and instructional space, a multipurpose room and more parking.

The Library Board held a community meeting on Oct. 21 to discuss possible locations for the new library scheduled to open in 2001. More than 70 people attended. At the meeting, staff from the Library's capital program office presented a preliminary list of possible locations that met library siting criteria, which included:

The existing library property at 5711 24th Ave. N.W.;
two sites included as possible library locations in the proposed municipal center master plan (Bartell Drug Store and U.S. Bank properties);
A parcel that includes Blazes Broiler and Fenpro properties, which are located on Market Street;
a 44,200-square foot parcel that includes "Honey I'm Home" catering and other adjacent properties; and
a 36,250-square-foot parcel that includes the Salmon Bay Eagles and other properties to the south.

As a result of the community input, three additional sites have been added to the list, which include the Safeway store, Wiggins and Sons Mortuary and the Eagles Hall and adjacent Service Garage. All three are within three blocks from Market Street.

Other sites suggested for consideration: Denny's parking lot, Nordic Heritage Museum, old Carnegie Library, Viking Bank and Top Banana were rejected because they either lacked sufficient space or were too far from Ballard's business hub.

In addition to comments received at the public meeting, the Library Board has been collecting written comments and e-mails. More than 70 comment forms have been returned.

The Library Board is expected to cut the list of potential sites to four or five at Tuesday's meeting. A matrix with an analysis of the sites, as well as a map of the sites, will be available at the meeting and at the Ballard Library.

Following the meeting, the board will continue to collect public comments and recommend a list of final sites at its Dec. 14 meeting, and then direct staff to begin property negotiations.

More information is available on the Library's Web site: www.spl.org, or by calling the Capital Program Office at 206-386-4624. Comments may be e-mailed to: capital.program@spl.org.

(Or for more information, call Andra Addison, public information officer, at 206-386-4103.)

See also Factors involved in siting the Ballard Library

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Content modified: 18 November 1999

12/30/2005