Elk Grove’s public library is trading its tight two-story home for a sprawling, retrofitted former Rite Aid, with city officials saying the branch is on track to reopen this fall after renovations. The move will give the city a much larger, single-story layout and a slate of new amenities aimed at families, teens and makers.
According to the Sacramento Public Library, the remodeled branch will feature a dedicated children’s space with an outdoor patio, an enhanced teen area, a makerspace, a larger community room, two study rooms and a “library of things” collection that patrons can borrow from. The library authority also notes that the current branch will stay open while work is underway and that the design came out of a 2018 study showing the community had outgrown the old site.
Funding and timeline
City officials told The Sacramento Bee that construction on the new site is expected to wrap up in June, with an opening celebration on the calendar for September. The city bought the former drugstore in 2021 and has secured more than $7 million in state grants to help fund the retrofit, according to the City of Elk Grove, and city budget documents put the project’s design and construction costs at roughly $15 million.
Why the move matters
Officials have pointed to the existing two-story branch’s cramped layout and maintenance costs as key reasons for the shift, and Sacramento Public Library facilities documents put the current location at about 13,850 square feet. Local reporting also notes that the new site will offer nearly double the parking and single-floor access, upgrades that officials say will make it easier to host events and serve people who currently struggle to find a space, according to the Elk Grove Citizen.
Next steps and community input
Construction contracts are signed and crews are already on site, and residents can sign up for email updates and attend public workshops to help shape programming and weigh in on future uses of the current building, per the City of Elk Grove. City spokesperson Sydney Robertson told The Sacramento Bee that “the goal is to collaborate with the community to design a space that becomes a new and valued community amenity.”
