South San Francisco residents will soon enjoy library and recreational services all under one roof, as the city plans to unveil the 80,000-square-foot facility this Saturday, Oct. 28.
The three-story structure stands between El Camino Real, Chestnut Avenue and Antoinette Lane and will also house the new City Council chambers and a 1.3-acre community park.
City Manager Sharon Ranals said the early stages of the project began in 2015 and was partially initiated by the aging buildings and technology offered in the existing library and parks and recreation centers. Soon enough, the appeal of having the two services under one roof gained traction.
“I think it will be good for collaboration. People can get in their silos a little bit, but if you can kind of blend those things, you’re also helping communitywise,” Ranals said.
The roughly eight-year journey hit a bump in the road at the height of the pandemic. Director of Capital Projects Jake Gilchrist said materials such as steel and insulation took longer than expected due to supply chain issues, not to mention an abrupt shift to fully remote planning right before the general contractor agreement was awarded in November 2020. Part of the site also sits above a BART tunnel, which requires additional precautionary measures.
“There are a lot of constraints that go along with building there,” Parks and Recreation Director Greg Mediati said. “I would argue the constraints made the design really unique. It’s a very narrow building, because it’s wedged between the BART track below and El Camino Real. But being such a narrow building, it allows for a lot of light to the building and transparency so residents can see what kind of activities are happening.”
The city was able to use the part of the property owned by BART in exchange for maintaining the area, which now holds the community park.
The Community Civic Campus project was a result of Measure W funds, a half-cent sales tax approved by South City voters in 2015. Ranals attributes the measure with providing a range of local services, not just the new center.
“That’s what has made possible a lot of huge public improvements like the swimming pool, the ball fields and this new library park and rec center,” she said.
The library and recreation spaces will take up the majority of the building, approximately 35,000 square feet each, and include amenities such as computer labs, instructional kitchens and event spaces, many of which are brand-new offerings to the public. Mediati said the structure’s sustainability solutions, including a fully electrified HVAC system and about 100 new trees, help the city work toward their climate goals as well.
“We have this vision of a family coming to the center, and some want to go check out a book or listen to story time, and others want to take an exercise class … this is maybe more of a family friendly way to do that,” Ranals said.
The city will host a grand opening event for the center 11 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 28, at 901 Civic Campus Way.
