Pleasant Hill, CA – The City of Pleasant Hill, Contra Costa County, and the Pleasant Hill Recreation and Park District are developing projects on Oak Park Boulevard which will include a new library building, new sports and recreation fields, much-needed housing and improvements to Monticello Avenue.
The City is planning to circulate a draft Environmental Impact Report in early Summer 2019.
In order to finalize and ready the project for construction, additional state and federal permits are required. The original timeline for receiving these permits needed to be adjusted, and this will delay the projects moving forward such that activity originally scheduled to begin in Fall 2019 is now anticipated to begin in late Spring 2020.
As a result of the delay, Contra Costa County Supervisor Karen Mitchoff announces library services at 1750 Oak Park Boulevard will continue at the current location until late Spring 2020.
The City of Pleasant Hill looks forward to the construction of the new building and will be maximizing this time to ensure that the new library building will fit the needs of patrons.
Project Overview
The Oak Park Project – encompassing 15 acres at 1700 and 1750 Oak Park Boulevard – is actually four projects in one. It is a new library building to replace the current outdated building; new sports fields for the community to enjoy; a new neighborhood of 34 single-family homes; and a greatly improved Monticello Avenue as well as the adjacent section of Oak Park Boulevard.
It is a unique partnership between Contra Costa County, the principal owner of the land; the City of Pleasant Hill; and the Pleasant Hill Recreation & Park District. The Mt. Diablo Unified School District also owns a portion of 1700 Oak Park Blvd with the County.
This partnership is described in a July 2018 Memorandum of Understanding. The MOU establishes a framework for the transfer of five acres from the County to the City of Pleasant Hill for a new library building; the sale of five acres to Recreation & Park District for sports fields; and the ultimate sale by the County of 1750 Oak Park Blvd (the existing library site) to a home builder for construction of 34 single-family homes.
All partners are sharing in the common infrastructure, environmental review, design and construction costs. That includes sharing the cost of transforming Monticello Avenue from a narrow private road into a tree-lined boulevard that will better serve the nearby middle school, the new library building, sports fields, and the entire community.
Frequently Asked Questions – Oak Park Properties
Library Building FAQS
What is the plan for the new Pleasant Hill Community Library Building?
The new building for the Pleasant Hill Library is being designed by the award-winning firm Bohlin Cywinski Jackson (BCJ), with extensive community input throughout the design process. The design documents are nearing completion. Construction activities are expected to begin in late Spring 2020.
The vision for the building is a place where people of all ages can explore, learn and connect. As visitors go through the entry doors, they will find an open central space to support a collection of 70,000 items, and spaces for reading, storytelling, accessing technology, collaborating and gathering. There will be a special “maker space” for hands-on creativity, and outdoor spaces for reading and play. A bookstore will showcase high-quality used books being sold by the Friends of the Pleasant Hill Library.
How will library services be provided during the interim? A temporary library will be located at the Pleasant Hill Senior Center. While details are still being worked out, some highlights include:
- Approximately 10,000 items available for check-out at the temporary library, including DVDs and the popular “Lucky Day” collection of new books
- Access to computers
- Library staff on hand to assist with everything from book recommendations to online searches
- Storytimes or other programs at the Pleasant Hill Teen Center
- The ability to order materials from ccclib.org and pick them up at the temporary Library
- A regular column in the Outlook by Patrick Remer (Senior Community Library Manager) with news about special community events and library happening
In addition to the temporary library, library lovers are welcome to attend programs and check out materials at any of the 25 other branches throughout Contra Costa County. For details on other library locations and programs, visit ccclib.org/locations.
The County owns the current building, but the City of Pleasant Hill will own the new one. Why?
Only seven of the 26 Contra Costa County Library buildings are owned by the County, including the current Pleasant Hill. The remaining libraries are owned by the city or town in which they are located or leased from a school or private entity. The Contra Costa County Library partners with the cities and towns to fund operational costs. As part of the Oak Park Properties partnership, the County will transfer five acres of land to the City of Pleasant Hill for the new building. The City is paying for construction of the new building.
How is the new building being paid for?
The new library building is being paid for with Measure K funds, a ½ cent sales tax approved by the voters in 2016 for the construction of a new city-owned building for the library, as well as the on-going enhancements of City streets, storm drain facilities, and bike/pedestrians facilities.
When Measure K was approved, the building site had not been determined. The location for the new building was formally identified in the July 2018 MOU between the County, Recreation & Park District and City.
Why is the current library building closing before the new one is open?
The current library building is closing so the property can be prepared for the future housing development that is one element of the overall Oak Park Properties project.
The plan was always to start construction activities for the new library building and houses as soon as possible.
Originally, the houses were going to be built on five acres behind the library, and the sports fields/park were going to be built on the site of the existing building at a later point in time.
On further analysis, the project partners realized that the better configuration was to flip the sports fields/park with the homes, thus building the new neighborhood on the parcel where the current library sits.
Having the library and the sports fields next to each other:
- Creates a single civic space for the public to enjoy
- Allows additional preservation of the riparian habitat along the creek
- Provides the opportunity for shared parking
What about the Pleasant Hill Middle School students who currently go to the library after school?
Project partners are working with Pleasant Hill Middle School leaders to make sure parents are aware of the upcoming library building closure.
The Teen Center at Pleasant Hill Park on Gregory has a shuttle bus from Pleasant Hill Middle School. While there is a nominal fee, those with financial needs may access the district’s scholarship program for reduced fees.
The Teen Center is holding an open house on May 15 for interested parents. Check out the website to learn more: https://www.pleasanthillrec.com/246/Teen-After-School-Program
What will happen with the Friends of the Pleasant Hill Library?
The Friends of the Pleasant Hill Library is a valued partner, raising more than $75,000 a year to pay for library programs and other library-related needs through their sales of gently used books. The City is working with the Friends to find a temporary location for their operations.
Park/Sports Fields FAQs
The Recreation & Park District is the lead agency for the new park/sports fields, which will be built on 5 acres adjacent to the new building. Initial park conceptual designs feature two baseball/softball fields with overlapping soccer fields, bocce courts and a creek side-walking trail.
New Homes (Oak Park Residential) FAQs
What is the plan for new homes? The County is working with a team to secure land use approvals for 34 single-family homes to be built on the site of the existing library building. If approved, the County will sell the land to an experienced home builder for future development.
The County and its development team have established a website to keep the public informed on the proposal. It can be found at https://www.oakparkblvdresidential.com.
Important Documents
Oak Park Properties Strategic Plan Amendment – Adopted by the Contra Costa Board of Supervisors in July 2018. Read the http://www.co.contra-costa.ca.us/DocumentCenter/View/58497/Oak-ParkProperties-Strategic-Plan-Amendment-June-2018.
May 2019 – timeline updated
