More than two years after voters approved the project as part of a $190 million bond package, renovations at the Richardson Public Library are scheduled to begin in February.
With a projected construction price tag of almost $32 million, the renovation will span the 84,173-square-foot building at 900 Civic Center Dr., located near U.S. 75, according to a filing with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation.
The work includes moving the main entrance, building a new drop-off lane, providing a drive-up book drop, adding glass walls to allow more natural light into the building, and providing a view of Fountain Plaza and the new city hall.
Inside the library, a large event space, a two-story children’s area, and a larger dedicated teen space are being added, as well as a glass-enclosed staircase on the building’s south facade.
The renovations are part of Proposition B which also provided funding for improvements at the city’s animal shelter, city hall, and Fire Station 5. The 2021 bond program included four other propositions for street and sidewalk improvements, drainage enhancements, and playground redevelopment and upgrades.
Construction at the library is expected to be completed by August 2025.
A temporary space for library patrons is open at 2360 Campbell Creek Blvd. — the same building where city hall is being housed after a fire damaged the existing property near the library on Civic Center Drive.
In May, Richardson voters approved a $46 million bond proposition to build the new city hall after the decades-old building sustained an estimated $60 million in fire, smoke, water, and structural damage. The facility is expected to open in fall 2026.
