On The Market: Surplus Library Open Houses Begin Today
Are you looking for a high visibility site for a new project? The process of selling off our city’s surplus libraries continues today with the public site review for potential bidders at the former Swan Creek Library. The library will be open today and tomorrow. Interested parties will need to agree to the terms of the sale before gaining entry. While bids will be accepted starting at a minimum of $400k for Swan Creek and $660k for the MLK Library on Cedar Street, money is really only part of the equation (40% to be specific). Proposals must answer several questions related to neighborhood and city alignment.
For example, how does the proposal:
- Positively impact the adjacent neighbors and the district as a whole
- Improve the quality of life and property values in the neighborhood
- Improve walkability and streetscape
- align with the City’s planning and economic development goals
- etc. etc.
So, we ask again, what would you like to see in your former library spaces? And, should you be looking to take on the project yourself, site review begins today …
MLK Library
Site review April 30 & May 1, 8:30 am to 4:00 pm
1902 South Cedar Street, Tacoma
Minimum bids of $660k
RFP Packet (pdf)
SWAN CREEK Library
Site review April 26 & 27, 8:30 am to 4:00 pm
3828 Portland Avenue, Tacoma
Minimum bids of $400k
RFP Packet (pdf)
Filed under: On the Market, Libraries
5 comments
M Mofo from the Hood April 27, 2012
Tacoman’s are so smart—they got surplus libraries!
G Gerry Sperry April 27, 2012
Again with the double-speak: There ain’t no such critter as a “surplus library”. Another case of selling off our cultural heritage in order to make ends meet. Sad. Very sad.
S Stereo Boy April 27, 2012
Agreed. And worse, our public schools put their “surplus” items directly into the trash. Seriously, check out the dumpsters outside of Tacoma schools sometime and you’ll be outraged at the tons of supplies (many still unopened in new packaging) that the schools bought, never used and (instead of donating it or spending more carefully next time) just throw in the trash and buy more with the new levy money we voted for them.
F fredo April 27, 2012
Library cutbacks made funding available for Reconciliation Park.
Pet projects trump essential services here in the Utopia we like to call Tacoma Washington.
J jd April 28, 2012
I live near the MLK Library, drive by it regularly, and visited it a few times when it was open. It seemed to me, that there were several problems with the site. Due to its size (I’m assuming), the selection of books was not very good, and due to its location/site layout, the parking lot was problematic. Whenever I went in, it was a ghost town. As much as I don’t like the idea of closing libraries, this one didn’t appear to give us much bang for our buck.
It’s smack dab in the middle of asst’d medical offices heaven. Hopefully we can turn this into a silk purse, and get get a little something back for the coffers…not that $600K is “a little something”