Public library considers permanent move to University Mall

The Chapel Hill Public Library may have a found a new — and permanent — home at an address once thought of as only an interim location.

Although library workers hoped to make the temporary move to University Mall in December, ongoing lease discussions with mall officials have delayed the relocation, said Mark Bayles, the library’s assistant director.

Friday night, there was a breakthrough in the negotiations when University Mall offered to house the library permanently.

“This will save the citizens of Chapel Hill at least $4 million, and that’s on the low end of current estimates,” Mayor Pro Tem Jim Ward said.

The library was set to temporarily move to University Mall while its original building undergoes construction, but the new offer could change that.

The Chapel Hill Town Council will consider calling a 60-day moratorium on expansion plans at its meeting tonight, giving officials time to decide if the new alternative is a feasible option.

“We need to make sure it’s an appropriate space,” said Martha Brunstein, president of the Friends of the Chapel Hill Public Library. “Some feel it is not appropriate, but it certainly is worth considering.”

Ward said the University Mall location would offer several benefits.

The library’s current expansion plan includes deck parking, which is expensive, he said. The new plan already has parking built.

The move would also provide the library with as much space as the expansion and would require only one major relocation of the library’s materials.

University Mall is also on a transit line, which would make it easily accessible.

But some argue the library would take away space for much-needed retail outlets and would lead citizens to shop outside of the county, resulting in a loss of sales tax revenue the county is already looking to increase.

“The counter argument is that the library would produce more pedestrian flow that would increase revenues for the existing retailers at the mall,” Ward said.

He also said construction time on the University Mall building would be considerably less than the planned expansion time.

If it occurs, the move would likely involve some sort of construction on the outside of the building to make it look less like a mall and more like a library, Brunstein said.

The library’s current building would most likely serve as administrative offices for the parks and recreation Department or the police department, Ward said.

If the permanent move is shot down, construction at the current site might not start until February, an optimistic estimate by most accounts, Brunstein said.

Ward said the new proposed plan would have the same opening date as the expansion, even with the moratorium.

“We don’t want to push the opening date anymore, and even with the 60 days we should have the same opening date plus or minus if we keep on track,” Ward said.

He said he hopes others will support the possible change of plans.

“The savings of upwards of $4 million is hard to pass up,” he said.

Contact the City Editor at citydesk@unc.edu.