Ocean View Library Replacement Project's Cost, Timeline Slip

Finding a new home for the Ocean View Library remains complicated and costly.

John Cunha, the facilities director for the San Francisco Public Library, said at a Thursday night commission meeting the new cost estimates for a 20,000 square feet site at 100 Orizaba Ave., a site the city and library officials have been seriously looking at as a new location for the branch, would be in the range of $65 million to $94 million. The library has set aside approximately $42.1 million specifically for the project.

Cunha said the site provided great potential but traffic safety concerns persist. “That is something we did hear and we continue to hear from the community that this is not a favorite place because of the nature of Brotherhood Way and Orizaba and the way the traffic is there now,” Cunha said.

Nicky Trasvina, a volunteer with the Council of Libraries, expressed concerns about the Orizaba Avenue site. “It's a very dangerous area to drive [and] walk,” she said. “It also includes Alemany and Sagamore streets, and it's like being in a real life Pac-Man game.”

There continues to be an ongoing traffic study by the San Francisco County Transportation Authority and San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency of the area. Cunha said he has worked with both agencies on the studies. The SFCTA said conceptual drawings for the Brotherhood Way Safety and Circulation Plan that were supposed to be available this spring are still being developed.

Cunha said the library’s new home may result from a partnership with Pilgrim Community Church, which is adjacent to the I.T. Bookman Community Center and also located nearly directly across the current library. SFPL is working closely with the city’s Real Estate Division and the Mayor's Office of Housing and Community Development to understand how that space could be used.

“Personally, I love the concept of co-location and being to offer really, for lack of a better term, more bang for our buck to the community,” Cunha said.

A potential timeline for completing a co-location site is not available as the idea is still conceptual, Cunha said. But he did provide a rough timeline should the Orizaba location move forward. The project could take six-plus years to complete with construction finishing in 2030 or later.

Library Commission President Connie Wolf said she understood the frustration over the length of time it has taken to find a new site, adding that the pandemic played a role in slowing down the project. Wolf added that the cost estimates were “shocking.”

Commissioner Susan Mall questioned why the Orizaba Avenue site was still being discussed when there was a second option across the street from the current branch with the possibility of a partnership with community organizations.

Mall also expressed frustration with District 11 Supervisor Ahsha Safai, who introduced an ordinance earlier this year that required the city to build the new library at 100 Orizaba Ave. It was later amended instead to require the city to prioritize the site, which still gave the city an option to search for alternative sites. Supervisors approved the ordinance 8-3.

At the June 18 Board of Supervisors meeting, Safai again introduced an ordinance requiring that the city build the new library at 100 Orizaba Ave. and that city agencies involved with the project will not be able to spend city funds in designing, planning, or performing environmental reviews, or implement a library serving the Ocean View-Merced Heights-Ingleside neighborhoods at any other site other than at 100 Orizaba Ave.

City Librarian Michael Lambert said the site at Orizaba remains a viable option if commissioners have to turn their full attention to the site. However, it may not be a 20,000-square-foot library given the budget constraints and new cost estimates.

“The bottom line is whether we build on Randolph or Orizaba, we're committed to delivering a 21st-century library with all the bells and whistles,” Lambert said.