New public library in north Oakville condo approved

Plans for a public library on the ground floor of a new 23-storey condo received the go ahead by Oakville Town Council on Monday (Sept. 16).

Council approved the purchase of the space on the ground floor from Branthaven, the developer of a condo planned for the area of Threshing Mill Boulevard and Trafalgar Road in Ward 7.

The development plan would see the new 17, 244 square foot library in north Oakville open in 2028.

“It allows us to get into the community, which is rapidly growing, and provide library services to the residents in that area,” said Tara Wong, Oakville Public Library CEO.

The proposal also includes 18 dedicated surface parking spots for library customers with the potential to purchase an additional five underground spaces for staff. There is also on street parking available along Threshing Mill Boulevard.

The Oakville Public Library Board is on board with the site and plan for a library.

“The board has fully endorsed this, and we’re excited about the opportunity that exists here,” said Ward 5 Councillor and OPL Board Chair Jeff Knoll.

The new library is good news for local residents in the area.

“This is obviously very exciting for a lot of the community up north because as you said there’s a lot of density and trying to meet their needs is not as simple as it used to be,” said Ward 7 Councillor Nav Nanda.

The new project, says Wong, will allow the Town of Oakville to test a new methodology for building libraries in high-density areas.

The proposed size of the new library will be smaller than the planned 20,000 square feet that was outlined in the 2024 Master Plan.

A comparison was made to the Glen Abbey library which is some 15,000 square feet and the state-of-the-art Sixteen Mile Branch that is being built and will be 17,244 sq. ft.

“We have had conversations back and forth with Branthaven and we do believe 17,000 square feet for that area will work for us,” said Wong.

Getting a large enough plot of land to build a 20,00 sq. ft. library is difficult.

“Obviously getting a space that large just isn’t feasible,” said Wong.

“It is an exciting opportunity to rethink libraries in areas like this,” said added.

Initially, Wong said, $5 million had been approved in the recent budget for a new branch along the Trafalgar corridor north of Dundas Street. A 10-year capital forecast has an additional $15 million for construction of a new branch in this area.