Church Offers to Buy Library Building

The City Council will consider on Monday an offer by Mount of Olives Lutheran Church to purchase the current Mission Viejo library building for $761,500.

Although about a quarter million dollars less than originally valued by the county several years ago, the price proposed by the church is still considerably more than the $650,000 appraisal done by the city in late 1995.

“We’re happy about that,” said City Manager Dan Joseph. “It is certainly a bit more than we had expected to get.”

Formerly owned by the county, the branch library was built in 1971 on Chrisanta Drive near La Paz Road when Mission Viejo had a population of approximately 10,000.

With more than 90,000 residents now in Mission Viejo, a new library that is about 27,000 square feet--triple the size of the current facility--is currently under construction at La Paz Road and Marguerite Parkway.

Joseph said the church hopes to convert the library into an adult day-care center.

If approved by the council, $701,000 from the sale will be earmarked for furniture and equipment for the new library.

The remaining $60,500 will be set aside to purchase technological improvements.

The new city library is tentatively scheduled to open Oct. 25.

The escrow on the current building would close in about 30 days and the city would pay rent until the new library is open.

“Part of the deal is to lease back the building until we don’t need it anymore,” said Joseph, who added that interest from the sale price would cover the rent.