| home < about us < building projects

New Main Library
(Vancouver Community Library)

Frequently Asked Questions

• I wasn't able to attend the meeting about the new library. How can I provide input?
  We want to hear your ideas and questions! There are several ways you can do this:
  • Send an email to newlibraries@fvrl.org.
  • Call the library at (360) 695-1566.
  • Fill out a comment form. Forms are available at the main library desk.
  • Mail your comments and questions to Attn: Julie Marr, Fort Vancouver Regional Library District, 1007 E. Mill Plain Blvd., Vancouver WA 98663


• Where will the new library be located?
  The library building will be built at the corner of C Street and E. Evergreen Blvd. – about four blocks west of the current location at E. Mill Plain Blvd. and Ft. Vancouver Way. The new library location is at the northwest corner of the Riverwest development site, which is bounded on the north by E. Evergreen Blvd., on the east by I-5, on the south by the City Center Cinemas complex, and on the west by C Street.


• What will the building look like? How many floors?
  At this very early stage, we’re anticipating planning a building with six levels: a below-grade level and four above-grade floors with a mezzanine between floor 1 and 2, for a total of approximately 90,000 square feet. The design process for the library building will reflect the influence of the historic Academy building just across Evergreen, as well as the Riverwest development buildings and public areas that will be built to the south and east of the library. Public input on the “look and feel” of the library’s exterior and interior spaces will be considered in the building design.


• Will there be more books?
  Yes, we are planning to increase the main library’s collection. This will mean more books, plus magazines, CDs, DVDs and PlayAway recorded books. In the current building, 11,000 square feet of space are dedicated to the library's collection; in the new building we anticipate more than doubling this to 29,000 square feet.


• Will there be a coffee shop? A bookstore?
  Preliminary discussions with the Riverwest developers and architects suggest the development may include a privately-operated coffee shop near the library. The Riverwest development plans also call for retail shops, but there hasn’t yet been any identification of what specific types of tenants the developer hopes to attract.


• When will the new library be open to the public?
  We anticipate opening the new library to the public in the first half of 2011.


• What will it be called?
  The library will most likely retain its current name -- Vancouver Community Library -- and will continue to serve as the ‘main library’ of Fort Vancouver Regional Library District.


• When will construction begin?
  The preliminary timeline for the Riverwest development calls for construction to begin on the underground parking garage by the end of 2008, with library construction beginning before 4th quarter 2009.


• How are you paying for this project?
  Construction of a new main library is made possible by voter approval in September 2006 of a $43 million bond measure for library facility improvements within the City of Vancouver. Approximate budget for the main library project is $37 million, which includes a $5 million anonymous private contribution.


• What about parking?
  200 spaces in the below-grade parking structure will be available to library patrons for two hours of free use while they’re in the library. Additionally, the library will be on public transit lines and will be located in a bicycle- and pedestrian-friendly central downtown area.


• What are you planning to do about safety and security?
  We’ve already heard from citizens that they’re concerned about safety and security in the new location, particularly regarding the underground parking garage. We don’t expect a rise in problems for library patrons with the move. However, FVRL and the Riverwest designers are dedicated to taking steps to help patrons feel safe and comfortable at the new location. The garage will be well-lit, monitored, and designed for easy access to elevators. We plan to continue our use of security guards at the main library. (We’ve looked into the crime rate in downtown parking structures and compared it to the main library’s current parking lots, and found little difference.)


• What will the traffic impact be to the downtown area?
  There will be a traffic study completed as part of the permitting process for the Riverwest project and the new library that will be part of it. C Street is already set up as a high-capacity route, and the City is considering whether to convert it to two-way as part of downtown traffic revisions.


• What’s the library’s relationship with the developer?
  The new main library project has been in part made possible by the gift from the developer of a prime piece of property for a library. The library project is under the direction and ownership of the Vancouver Library Capital Facility Area board (the Clark County Board of Commissioners) on behalf of the citizens of Vancouver, and will be financed primarily with public funds through bond sales. However, the library district is collaborating closely with the developer, Killian Pacific, to work out the logistics and timing for construction of a public building within a private development.


• What will happen to the old library building?
  Current plans call for remodeling the current main library building into an administration and operations center for the library district.


• What about the buildings that are currently on the site?
  The Riverwest site currently is occupied by several houses along Evergreen, all of which are vacant, and the Carr Auto Group buildings that were vacated in May 2008 when the dealership moved to a new location. The Kiggins house at the corner of E. Evergreen Blvd. and W. Reserve Street, a historic structure, was moved to a new location in June 2008. Arrangements are being made by the developer and other parties for removal of the remaining structures.


• What other library projects are in the works?
  The library district is currently working on one other facility project, besides the new main library, that was funded by the 2006 Vancouver bond measure: construction of a new Cascade Park library adjacent to Firstenburg Community Center on NE 136th Ave., which is expected to open to the public in Fall 2009. A third project funded by the Vancouver bond measure, improvements at Vancouver Mall Community Library, is on hold pending decisions about overall Westfield Shoppingtown remodeling. Additionally, a fourth building project for a new 13,000 square foot building is underway in Battle Ground. The Battle Ground project is funded by the library district, the Battle Ground Village developer, and private individual, corporate and group contributions.

Public Input