Capitol Branch library regulars had a number of questions about potential plans to close their library and move it to a new space being redeveloped in Midtown Center at 5825 W. Hope Ave.
They voiced their concerns Tuesday during a community meeting held at the library, located at 3969 N. 74th St. Queries included what plans are for a new library site, what would happen to the current building and if either space could be used to create more options for youth and community resources.
“We gotta do a better job of being transparent with the community,” said Ald. Sharlen Moore, who represents District 10 and hosted the meeting.
The proposal would move the library 14 blocks east to the corner of West Hope Avenue and 60th Street, and use 17,000-18,000 square feet out of approximately 50,000 square feet that would be leased to the City of Milwaukee for $1.
A 102,000-108,000 square-foot portion of the building will be used for a self-storage facility.
The City Plan Commission approved zoning items related to the redevelopment of the former Walmart building at a meeting on July 20. The developer, AFS Milwaukee LLC, removed plans for a controversial “computational research facility” in the project after many members of the public opposed it and the plan commission couldn’t reach a decision on the project in June.
Library history
The 12,777-square-foot Capitol Branch was built on the Northwest Side in 1964 and renovated in 1995.
The Milwaukee Public Library Board of Trustees put out requests for proposals to develop a new library in a mixed-used development in 2018 and 2019, but received no proposals that would work for the needs of the library, according to Joan Johnson, library director, and Michele Bria, president of the Milwaukee Public Library Board of Trustees, who also attended the meeting.
“We don’t have multiple options from developer partners that the board usually decides,” said Johnson. “So that’s the thing that’s different about this.”
Plans for the new library would feature a large community room that could serve as an early voting center during election season and 90 parking spots.
If the Common Council approves a recommendation to move forward with the lease, Commissioner of City Development Lafayette Crump said the city hopes to finalize the lease in the next month or two.
The library board voted to approve architecture firm Engberg Anderson to study the feasibility of the site. It would need to approve plans to move forward and intends to go through a community engagement process to get input on the library’s possible design and amenities.
“Everything else should be moving forward just fine while the library goes through its process of sort of evaluating the needs and determining for sure that that building definitely works,” Crump said.
The earliest the new library would be built would be mid-2028, but it could take longer, according to Crump.
Community questions
Multiple residents who live near the library pointed out that there are few community spaces or city services within walking distance.
“Things like libraries stabilize this area,” said Judy Carlson, who uses the library and lives south of the current location.
She said she doesn’t have an objection to putting a library in the proposed location but is concerned about how the library leaving could impact her neighborhood.
“It is going to be disruptive to some people’s lives, I don’t want to be shy about that,” Crump said. “But we do think that there will be other residents who it will be impactful for and that on the whole, this is a positive project.”
Colleen Gottsacker, another resident, said she felt like Crump didn’t have a good answer for how the city would avoid letting the current building sit vacant.
Other residents asked if the redevelopment would include a space for youths or bring in new activities for kids to do.
Crump said the city is evaluating a few different uses for the non-library community space in the building, including for youth activities.
Though the plans would move the library out of District 10 and into District 2, Moore said she plans to advocate for some community space for the northwest area of her district.
“I’m hoping to have some conversations with the commissioner to see if there’s other opportunities on this side, whether it’s between my district, Alderman Westmoreland’s district, to figure out how we could have some sort of accessibility,” she said.
Jonathan Aguilar is a visual journalist at Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service who is supported through a partnership between CatchLight Local and Report for America.
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