The City of Burbank is exploring the potential for a new Central Library to better serve the community with modern spaces, technology, and services that support education, connection, and economic opportunity.

In 2020–21, the City worked with the architecture firm The Miller Hull Partnership to evaluate whether renovating the existing library or constructing a new facility would best meet the community’s needs. The resulting report, A Vision for a New Central Library for Burbank, concluded that new construction would provide greater long-term value and flexibility for future generations.

The current Central Library, built in 1963, was designed for a very different era. The building has limited natural light, inflexible spaces, and has not received major updates since 1992. As a result, it no longer fully meets modern expectations for accessibility, safety, or technology use. With Burbank’s libraries among the most heavily used in the region, the Central Library’s limited capacity has also contributed to crowding at other locations, particularly Buena Vista Branch Library.

Early conceptual plans for a new library explore the creation of a civic campus that could include a new Central Library, city office spaces, a parking structure to serve visitors and nearby civic facilities, and a public plaza designed for events, relaxation, and everyday community use.

Preliminary concepts envision a building of approximately 97,500 square feet, a parking structure with around 310 spaces, and roughly 43,000 square feet of outdoor public space.

A future Central Library has the potential to expand access to library services, provide flexible and inclusive spaces for learning and collaboration, and strengthen Burbank’s role as a center for literacy, lifelong learning, and community gathering.

The project is still in the exploratory and planning stages. In 2025, the City hired MOCA Services to help assess community needs and develop a proposal for what a potential new Central Library and Public Plaza could include. This work will help the City define the project scope, including the library, office space for several City departments, and outdoor areas for community use before any future decisions are made by City Council.

Funding for the New Central Library and Public Plaza Project will come from a combination of local funding, grants, and long-term financing.

Since voters approved Measure P in 2018, a portion of the revenue generated by the sales tax has been dedicated to improving City infrastructure. These funds are helping cover the planning and design costs for the project, along with other sources such as development impact fees dedicated to the library.

Construction of the project is expected to be financed through a municipal bond. Measure P provides a stable revenue source that can be used to repay the bond over time, allowing the City to fund the project without placing additional burden on the General Fund.

The City has also secured $10 million in State grant funding, along with additional federal funding, and will continue pursuing grant opportunities to help reduce the amount that needs to be financed. In the future, redevelopment opportunities at the current Central Library site may also provide additional funding that could help offset project costs.

The City is still exploring options for the existing Central Library building and property. No decisions have been made yet, but possibilities include repurposing or reusing the space as part of future planning efforts.

Planning for the New Central Library and Public Plaza Project is currently underway. MOCA, the project management team hired by the City, began work in August 2025 and has been collaborating with library staff to define the project scope, gather community input, and develop the project schedule and funding plan.

The City anticipates releasing a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) for a progressive design-build team in May 2026. Once a team is selected and under contract, the project will move into the design phase.

Construction is currently anticipated to begin in summer 2027, with the goal of completing the project and opening the new Central Library in spring 2029.

In addition to modernizing the library, the project is intended to strengthen Burbank’s downtown by improving walkability, accessibility, and connections between nearby public buildings.

Concepts being explored include landscaped pedestrian pathways, a public plaza for events and gatherings, and open spaces that encourage people to spend time downtown. The goal is to create a vibrant civic destination where residents can learn, meet, attend programs, and connect with their community.

The City of Burbank invites you to submit your feedback online or by emailing BurbankPublicLibrary@burbankca.gov.

You can also sign up for our listserv to receive the latest news and updates about the New Central Library and Public Plaza project.

To see the latest design concepts, please see the March 10, 2026 City Council Study Session presentation. Presentation slides are available here.

You can also sign up for our listserv to receive the latest news and updates about the New Central Library and Public Plaza project.

If you’d like to get involved, you can share ideas or ask questions to the project team here or by emailing BurbankPublicLibrary@burbankca.gov. You can also sign up for our listserv to receive the latest news and updates about the New Central Library and Public Plaza project.

Community feedback is playing a central role in shaping the new Central Library and Public Plaza project. Since October 2025, the City has hosted a wide variety of engagement opportunities, including workshops, pop-up events, focus groups, guided tours, and meetings with boards, commissions, and other city organizations. These efforts have reached thousands of residents, with over 6,200 people participating in pop-ups and focus groups, 525 attending workshops, 12 guided tours of the current library, and 6,700 visiting the project website, which is available in English, Armenian, and Spanish.

Participants represent a diverse cross-section of the community: 28% teens, 42% adults, 30% seniors, and 11% people with disabilities. This input has helped the project team understand what the community wants to see in the future library and public plaza.

Feedback from these events is being used to inform the project in several ways:

• Developing a design concept to define how much space is needed and how it should function.

• Guiding site planning decisions, such as building placement and parking.

• Informing project costs and design considerations through test fits and planning analyses.

In addition to public input, library staff have been interviewed via surveys and in-person meetings to ensure operational needs are fully considered. Collaboration across all city departments has also helped to align the project with current regulations and overall city goals.

Upcoming community workshops and town halls will continue to gather input, which will directly influence project decisions leading up to the release of the Request for Qualifications (RFQ) in May 2026.

Residents can continue to provide feedback online or via email at BurbankPublicLibrary@burbankca.gov and by attending upcoming community events.

Preliminary plans for the New Central Library and Public Plaza include a variety of flexible spaces designed to support learning, creativity, and community gathering.

Proposed library spaces include dedicated children’s and teen areas, study and lounge spaces, maker and creative labs, and a media lab with sound booths and a recording studio. The design also includes co-working space for entrepreneurs, freelancers, and those working in creative industries.

The building is envisioned to include several shared community spaces, such as conference rooms, meeting rooms, and a large flexible auditorium that could host author talks, storytimes, performances, and other community events. A café on the ground floor is also being considered to serve both the library and the surrounding public plaza.

Outdoor spaces are an important part of the concept as well. Plans include a rooftop event space, a library deck connected to the café, and a terraced plaza that could accommodate farmers markets, festivals, concerts, movie nights, and other community gatherings.

Community feedback has also highlighted interest in amenities such as arts and craft classes, career fairs, cooking demonstrations, seating and picnic areas, bike parking, and spaces that integrate public art and native landscaping.

Based on ongoing community feedback about desired services and amenities, preliminary plans envision a four-story building. The proposed facility would provide space for expanded library services, as well as areas for other City departments, allowing the building to support a wide range of community needs now and in the future.

The Public Plaza is planned as a vibrant, flexible gathering space for the Burbank community. Because the site has a 23-foot change in elevation from Glenoaks to Third Street, the plaza will likely be terraced to create multiple usable areas.

Potential uses include:

• Library deck: an extension of library programming, connecting to a coffee shop.

• Event space: hosting the Burbank Certified Farmers Market, other types of markets or fairs, or additional community events.

• Lawn area: for concerts, movie nights, or outdoor events.

• Plaza area: for larger gatherings, festivals, holiday celebrations like a Christmas tree lighting, and cultural events.

Amenities will be designed to make the space welcoming, safe, and accessible, with seating, picnic areas, shade trees, and landscaping that provides safe pedestrian separation from busy Olive Street. Overall, the plaza will be a green, accessible hub for community connection, art, culture, and recreation.

To see conceptual designs of the Public Plaza, please review the March 10, 2026 City Council Study Session. Presentation slides are available here.

Library services will continue as usual throughout the planning and construction of the new Central Library and Public Plaza.

The proposed plan calls for the demolition of the existing Administrative Services Building. City departments and services currently housed there would be relocated to the proposed new Central Library, with their needs integrated into the design and planning of the building.

Existing parking will be removed during construction, with new parking incorporated into the design of the updated Central Library and Public Plaza. Preliminary plans call for a parking garage with approximately 310 spaces at the corner of Glenoaks Boulevard and Orange Grove Avenue. While construction is underway, public parking will remain available at the Orange Grove Parking Structure and Courthouse Parking Structure.

The City is exploring temporary downtown locations for the Burbank Certified Farmers Market while construction takes place. The Farmers Market will be fully incorporated into the design of the new Public Plaza.

Yes! The new Central Library will be designed with sustainability as a top priority. It is planned to achieve at least LEED Gold certification and will include high-efficiency systems such as solar panels, water recapture, and other energy- and resource-saving features. These design elements will help reduce environmental impact while creating a healthy, efficient, and resilient space for the Burbank community.

Housing is no longer being considered as part of this project. While the 2022 Housing Element of the Burbank 2035 General Plan initially proposed housing on this block, economic and financial factors have made that approach unviable. Rising construction costs, higher interest rates, increased operating expenses per housing unit, and the inability for rents to keep pace with these costs have diminished private sector interest in building housing on this site. With private construction no longer feasible, a public-private partnership approach is unlikely to attract developers, as there is no long-term revenue source to justify the necessary upfront financing. For more information, please see the November 18, 2024 City Council Meeting for the full Staff Report and presentation.

As a result, the block will focus solely on civic uses, including the existing Community Services Building, the new Central Library, and the Public Plaza, creating a dedicated space for learning, community connection, and cultural activities. Housing needs continue to be addressed elsewhere in downtown Burbank on other city-owned and privately owned lots as part of the ongoing Downtown Burbank Specific Plan.