MAC Meeting: Old Library Plan Stalls, Again
The fate of the old library on Redwood Road was once again up for discussion by the Castro Valley Municipal Advisory Council (MAC) at their meeting Monday night. Everyone wants the building to be used to help local veterans- but will it be a simple veterans' resource center or a multi-story veterans’ affordable housing project?
Originally built in 1962, the site at 20055 Redwood Road has sat empty for nearly 15 years. The county’s General Services Agency has estimated that renovations to get the site operating would range from $1.5 million to $9 million, depending on the level of improvements.
The Board of Supervisors has directed county staff to pursue using the property for veterans’ housing and other services. The prioritization of the property for veterans is something both the MAC and the county want, according to Eileen Dalton, director of Economic and Civic Development for the county.
Previously, the MAC has indicated that they'd like to see the building itself kept and use a service facility for vets. The county’s Parks Recreation and Historical Commission also wanted to keep the building and have it placed on the county and state historical register for its value as an example of mid-century modern architecture.
County staff also looked at options to raze the site and rebuild, which would provide an opportunity for a much larger facility with housing on the upper floors. The MAC saw three possible design options for mixed-use development, which would be quite dense and tall on the relatively small footprint of the old library.
The three housing options ranged from 28 to 52 housing units and from three to five stories with forty parking spaces. County staff said that the larger 52-unit option would likely be the most attractive to potential developers, as larger projects are more efficient for them to build.
In March, the Board of Supervisors once again discussed that matter and– where they had previously told staff to focus on mixed-use with the housing and a veterans’ center– this time they added direction to also include a possible veterans’ center only option, without the housing.
“We are going to take a fresh look at everything,” said Dalton. “That’s what I can promise you.”
MAC member Chuck Moore expressed frustration that the project has taken so long to get off the ground.
“We worked on this in 2019, and it’s now 2023, and it’s still empty,” said Moore. “It’s almost embarrassing. I’m sure there are some veterans who have passed away. Will it be another four years?”
The next step will be for the Alameda County Fire Department to decide if the site is safe to be used temporarily while its ultimate fate is decided. Dalton told the MAC it would be at least six months before the matter came back before the community.
Also, at Monday night's meeting, the MAC heard an update on Measure X, the $90 million bond approved by voters in 2020 to fund several phases of improvements at local fire stations. The first round of improvements will impact two sites in Castro Valley in the coming months.
Fire Station 7 at 6855 Villareal Drive in Palomares Hills will be built adjacent to the existing fire station there. And Fire Station 25 will be built on the same site as the current station at 2033 San Miguel Avenue. Conceptual designs are currently being developed, and the project is set to be discussed at an upcoming MAC meeting in November.