Retail-Library Complex Planned

The city of San Fernando has announced plans for a new retail development that will also house the city’s branch of the Los Angeles County Library.

The $3-million Retail Library Plaza project on Maclay Avenue will have a groundbreaking ceremony Aug. 2.

Nearly $800,000 of the funding came from a loan from the city’s Redevelopment Agency. The project’s main tenant will be the branch library, which recently signed a 20-year lease.

The joint public and private project is the result of three years of planning, said John Ornelas, city administrator.

Construction of the plaza--by Pueblo Contracting Services--is expected to take 12 to 14 months, Ornelas said.

“The whole idea is that building this retail center and a new public library are going to jump-start revitalization in our area,” said Joel Bellman, spokesman for Los Angeles County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky, who helped finalize the project. “It’s a commercial opportunity and a civic renewal opportunity.”

The new 8,601-square-foot library will replace the 47-year-old building the city has leased since 1988, one that the community has outgrown, said Nancy Mahr, public information officer for the county library.

Facilities will include a larger children’s area, a young adult area and a roomier homework center. There will also be more Internet-equipped computers, a Literacy Center and expanded parking.

Adjacent businesses will include a gym, coffeehouse, juice bar, florist, barbershop and a mailing service, according to Bellman.

The current 6,500-square-foot library, at 1050 Library St., will operate until the new facility opens.

“We’re definitely looking forward to moving into new facilities,” said Sue Yamamoto, acting community library manager. “Any additional space would be welcome.”

A bigger library is much needed, Mahr agreed.

“The use of the library has become more involved, and that’s where the need for additional space has come from,” Mahr said. “I attribute it to our great education system, where the schools in the community have really placed an emphasis on reading.”

The retail portion of the project is also something the community needs, Ornelas said. “It really is a significant project related to the city’s efforts to bring in quality services to the community,” he said. “It’ll definitely have an impact on the ability of the city to show the region that we are in fact moving forward with our economic progress.”