PICKLEWEED LIBRARY RENOVATION PROJECT 

In 2022, the City of San Rafael secured a $1,000,000 Building Forward Grant from the State Library Foundation to renovate the Pickleweed Library. The project will expand public space, enhance accessibility, and improve safety. To meet the grant’s 100% match requirement, the City is using memorial funds dedicated to improving library facilities. 

Community demand for modern, spacious libraries has been highlighted in multiple studies and analyses, including the 2019 Library Facilities Planning Study, which identified the Pickleweed Library as an opportunity for increasing library space for the community. Read the full report here. 

 In February 2024, the City issued a Request for Proposal (RFP) for architectural, engineering, and interior design services for the renovation project. In April 2024, City Council approved an agreement with Jayson Architecture P.C. as the lead architect on the project.  The design process focused on solutions that address the library’s spatial limitations while enhancing its functionality and cohesiveness. The key features of the design include: 

• Better integrating and utilizing the current computer lab as library space and designating it as a children’s room.  

• Relocating the police substation to create an improved entryway into the library.  

• Re-designing the restrooms from the current over-sized, single gender restrooms into two smaller, single-stall, gender neutral facilities.  

• Relocating the staff office to be more accessible and functional.  

• Replacing the back wall with windows and adding an additional door, creating more flow between the indoor and outdoor space, and improving means of egress.  

The project team is currently costing the preferred design, which will inform the final project scope. Staff shared the design with the Library Board of Trustees at the August 2024 meeting, and with the Pickleweed Advisory Committee at the September 2024 meeting for feedback. Additionally, the design was shared with the community at the Movies in the Park event on August 23rd, at Pickleweed Park.  

The City is aiming to start construction on the Pickleweed Branch renovation project in the Summer 2025, after the Downtown Library renovation project and the Pickleweed Park Enhancement project are completed.