A diagram shows the proposal for a new public library in Roselle.
Courtesy of Product Architecture + Design
The Roselle Public Library District will ask voters in November to approve a $22 million loan plan for a new building, more than a year after its original request was rejected at the ballot box by just 22 votes.
This time, the district wants to build a new library campus on the site of the former Trinity Community Center – a property currently owned by the village. The library and the village would swap their respective properties if voters approve the project.
“I hope people see that we’ve been listening … our priority has been to listen and make sure we’re designing something for the future that the community really, really wants and can believe in,” said Samantha Johnson, the library’s executive director. “And the village has been very supportive.”
Library leaders went through the motions and held focus groups after voters narrowly rejected a plan to replace the existing facility with a two-story, glass-enclosed building on the same Park Street site in April 2023.
The new plan calls for moving the library to Maple Avenue. With voter approval, the district would issue bonds to finance construction of a roughly 32,000-square-foot building. As a result, the owner of a $300,000 home would be expected to pay an additional $179 in property taxes annually to the library district.
“It’s a really beautiful piece of land and we can incorporate a lot more green space into our master plan,” Johnson said of the village-owned property, which is connected to Pine Park.
Roselle trustees earlier this week approved an intergovernmental agreement contingent on a successful library referendum. Library trustees are expected to follow suit and vote on the agreement Wednesday night.
Under the terms, the village would pay up to $450,000 for the cost of demolition and site preparation. The township would transfer its property to the library upon completion of the work.
After moving to the new premises, the library would hand over its building and property to the village.
“When we purchased the property on East Maple Avenue, we knew it had a lot of potential to be relisted,” said Roselle Mayor David Pileski. “However, because it borders so many residential areas, we knew there might be some issues and concerns in the neighborhood.”
“When we started talking about the development plans, it became really clear that residents in the immediate area were hoping that it would continue to be some sort of institutional use,” Pileski added.
The existing library site, however, is “much better suited for dense development,” said Pileski. The community center is located to the west.
“This is a win-win situation where we can help the library district use its funds and revenues more efficiently to provide great benefits to the community for generations to come,” the mayor said. “And we can enable the village to really leverage its assets to maximize private investment in things that will give us more vitality in the future.”
A youth room can be seen in the planned new public library in Roselle.
Courtesy of Product Architecture + Design
The new library would have a drive-up window, attached parking, and a larger youth section.
“We heard from a lot of people that they liked the inside but didn’t like the outside,” Johnson said. The exterior design now features more brick, warmer colors and “less glass, definitely less glass,” she said.
The land swap would also allow the library to continue operations from its Park Street building during construction.
