Phoenix plans to double the size of the Yucca Library by 2028.
Despite being the fourth-smallest of Phoenix’s 17 public library branches at 10,000 square feet, Yucca Library is the third-busiest library in the city.
Yucca had 153,000 visitors last fiscal year, Deputy Library Director Terry Lawler told the Phoenix Library Advisory Board on Wednesday. That trails only the Burton Barr Central Library, which is far larger than any other library in the city, and Mesquite Library. The expansion to 20,000 square feet will make Yucca about equal in size to Mesquite.
Library staff is going to be “delighted” to have a larger space, Lawler said.
“What we want to resolve is that everybody is literally sitting elbow-to-elbow in that library, and there’s just nowhere to be. It’s just too small,” she said.
The dark gray area on this sketch shows the planned expansion of Phoenix's Yucca Library.
(Courtesy city of Phoenix)
The funding to expand Yucca Library, at 15th and Montebello avenues, was specifically included in the general obligation bonds that Phoenix voters approved in 2023, along with funding for two new library branches. The Yucca Library expansion has a budget of about $10.6 million.
The expansion will add more meeting spaces, create a bigger children’s area and expand the library’s collection.
Part of the children's area at Phoenix's Yucca Library.
(Courtesy Phoenix Public Library)
The Tucson-based architectural firm Line and Space has been hired to design the expansion. They have taken input from library staff and patrons, including through an online survey that garnered more than 1,800 responses. Lawler said the direction of the design is to look “light and airy and pretty.”
Line and Space also designed the Prickly Pear Library in Laveen, which until recently was called the Cesar Chavez Library.
“If you’ve been there, you know that that one is really light and airy. It’s very beautiful. It’s got the big windows. So we’re hoping for sort of a similar feel,” Lawler told the advisory board.
Board Member Alejandra Bucon asked if the library would need to close during construction. Lawler said it is very likely, but they will know for sure once the preliminary design is complete. Staff had hoped for a phased construction that would keep the branch open in a limited capacity during construction, but Lawler said the timeline has become somewhat tight to spend the money from the general obligation bonds.
“We will definitely relocate our library services out into the community or nearby. We’re looking at what that’s going to look like already,” Lawler said.
Next steps
The next steps are to finish the design process and hire sub-contractors. Planning will include expanding the library’s collection and furniture and figuring out how construction will impact library programs and staff hours.
Construction is scheduled to begin in February 2027. Construction may continue after the library reopens. A timeline on a slide from Lawler’s presentation said opening the library is planned for March 2028 and construction will be completed by the end of 2028.
Relocating library?
District 4 City Councilmember Laura Pastor, whose district includes the Yucca Library, last year suggested relocating the library to the other side of the Christown Spectrum Mall to the city-owned park-and-ride property at 19th and Montebello avenues.
Pastor did not like that, while the city owns the library building, the land it is on is leased. She said she did not like the idea of investing more taxpayer money on property the city does not own. Though the lease extends into 2075, Pastor noted that there are procedures for either party to terminate the lease and the building would transfer to Kimco, which owns the mall.
Moving forward with the Yucca Library expansion means the proposal to relocate the library is tabled if not outright declined. Pastor had said that if the city did build a new Yucca Library building, it could use the current library building for another purpose, such as a heat respite center.
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Mark Carlisle joined Independent Newsmedia, Inc., USA, in 2017, covering Glendale. He has since moved to the Daily Independent team, primarily covering the city of Phoenix along with other topics affecting the Valley at-large.
Community: Mark enjoys taking his two young sons to parks, the Phoenix Zoo, the Phoenix Public Library and other fun events around the Valley. He also participates in a local book club.
Education: Chapman University with a BA in English Journalism and one in Screenwriting.
Random Fact: Mark worked at a tuxedo shop in college. Just don’t ask him to tie a bowtie.
Hobbies: Spending time with his wife, sons and dog, watching sports and TV shows, listening to audiobooks and occasionally writing fiction or designing a board game.
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