North Sunnyvale residents who used to drive up to 30 minutes just to check out a book now have a library of their own. The Lakewood Branch Library and Learning Center held its opening ceremony on Halloween morning, becoming Sunnyvale's first branch library in the northern part of the city after more than a decade of planning.
The 20,000-square-foot facility at 760 Lakechime Drive cost $29 million and holds roughly 27,500 books, videos and other materials, according to San José Spotlight. It includes meeting rooms and a Maker Lab stocked with a 3D printer, laser cutter and sewing machines, and the branch is staffed by a mix of 12 full-time and part-time employees. The project traces back to 2012, when Sunnyvale first began discussing building its first branch library, and construction didn't begin until 2024.
The city partnered with the Sunnyvale School District and Fremont Union High School District on the project, which drew in California state government for plan approvals because of that school district partnership, San José Spotlight reports. Earlier reporting from San José Spotlight noted the city signed a 2020 agreement with both districts to help fund the project, and that the Sunnyvale City Council awarded Bobo Constructions a $23 million construction contract in May 2024. That earlier coverage also described a roughly 22,000-square-foot plan with a projected late-2025 opening, figures that shifted as the project moved forward.
A Neighborhood Long Overlooked
North Sunnyvale, defined as the area north of Evelyn Avenue, has lower incomes and more office and industrial buildings — with less support for housing — than the rest of the city, per the same report. The Lakewood neighborhood itself has about 1,600 homes and sits near Lawrence Expressway and Highway 101, a full 4.5 miles from the main Sunnyvale library, a trip that could take 15 minutes by car or 25 minutes by bicycle.
Sunnyvale Mayor Larry Klein said North Sunnyvale residents have long wanted additional services, framing the new branch as a neighborhood hub. District 6 Councilmember Eileen Le, who represents North Sunnyvale, said the city is not yet delivering its fair share of services to the area, pointing to population growth and a largely built-out city as complicating factors. Le also said the city has struggled to keep pace with recent housing development, according to the report.
Equity Report Flagged Gaps Across the North Side
Those concerns echo findings from Sunnyvale's community equity assessment report, released in August 2026, which identified residents' worries about a relative lack of city services and amenities in northern Sunnyvale. The city's assessment process included a draft summary presented in June 2026 and a final report delivered to the City Council in August 2026. The report listed a lack of walkable communities and insufficient public transportation access among North Sunnyvale's needs, along with limited retail options, unmet demand for low-cost childcare, free or subsidized school lunches and afterschool programs, and impending grocery store losses.
The library's superintendent of libraries noted a related trend before opening day: the number of North Sunnyvale residents holding a library card had more than tripled since 2020, even without a branch nearby.
Costumes, Crafts and a Maker Lab Showcase
The city had promoted a Halloween-morning celebration featuring live music, a Maker Lab showcase, crafts and giveaways, with families encouraged to wear costumes, according to the Mercury News. The outlet's report also described the building as all-electric, with study rooms and dedicated spaces for children and teens.
Lang Xiang, who lives near the new library, attended the opening with her 4-year-old son, Ethan. She said the branch means she no longer has to take her son all the way to the main library, and she thanked the city for building one in the area. Linh Ly, president of the Lakewood Village Neighborhood Association, said the library is a major benefit to the neighborhood and will serve as a community gathering place.
More Change Coming to Lakewood Park
The library sits next to Lakewood Park, which the city is renovating alongside the branch. An all-inclusive playground opened there in July 2026, and the renovation is due for completion in mid-2027 with natural turf playing fields and a dog park still to come, rounding out the push to bring more services to North Sunnyvale.
