Newark's Historic Library set for demolition, alternatives excluded by city staff

****Please attend the October 8th City Council study session on future of Newark library held at: City Council Chambers, 6th Floor 37101 Newark Boulevard, Newark, CA @ 5:30PM ****

Photo Credit: Aaron Green Associates

On September 8, 2015, the City of Newark held their first community meeting on the replacement of the Eight Story Civic Center, Police Headquarters and City Library.

Our library was designed by renowned American architect, Aaron Green (1917-2001), a protégé of iconic American architect Frank Lloyd Wright (1867-1959).

Rather than defend our City’s distinctive heritage, the City jumped to the conclusion that it needed to replace or relocate the library. The City failed to present any complete study to residents regarding options such as preservation and restoration alternatives. Only then could residents properly make a decision between destruction and renovation of our library.

Other Bay Area cities have protected their civic buildings with architectural significance. Mill Valley similarly faced a choice between the needs of a growing City and a library of significant architectural value. But they did not replace their library that was designed by prominent architect Don Emmons. Instead, they thoughtfully integrated a 9,000 sq ft. addition onto the building and updated the original structure--30 years later. Similarly, our Aaron Green designed library is barely 32 years old and is worthy of every effort to preserving it intact.

City staff have claimed the library is “not likely to be usable after a moderate earthquake”. But the Newark Library was structurally engineered by Paul Fratessa, a prominent structural engineer and seismic expert who led the rewriting of California’s seismic building codes in the 1980. If anything, the public should be reassured that the library is very well-engineered despite its age.

Every site option required demolition of the library. One option advocated relocating and demolishing the Community Center, another remarkable project by Aaron Green. One project consultant admitted they were not allowed to make any decisions regarding site locations beyond the few provided by City staff. Importantly, several Newark residents suggested alternative sites that were not part of the offered site options.

The rationale for complete replacement is disingenuous. Modernization of the existing facility can be resolved through alternative means like expanding the library, upgrading technology, refurbishing and repurposing existing space. None of this costs more than an entirely new building and can protect our city heritage.

The reality is that City staff had already made up their mind a long time before any community meetings. On page 58 of the City’s 2013 General Plan, City staff notes “215 new high-density housing units are anticipated in this area”.

In the last few years, Newark has approved more than 4,000 housing units with numerous more to come. Why must we sell city land for more high-density housing and irreversibly destroy one of the City’s few distinguished treasures?

Thus, the City must order an independent study to evaluate the cost of expanding and upgrading the existing library. Second, the process to select an architect and site locations must be decided by well-publicized community meetings, rather than privately. Thirdly, any future community meetings related to any aspect of project must occur after 7 pm to allow more citizens to provide input.