New facility to go up on Green Hills Road
Mid-Continent Public Library broke ground on its brand-new Green Hills Library Center (8549 North Green Hills Road, Kansas City, MO 64154) on Thursday, July 15.
The new building is slated to open in summer 2022 and will serve as a replacement for the library’s current Boardwalk Branch (8656 N. Ambassador Drive, Kansas City, Mo.), which will remain open until construction is complete.
“We’re very excited to mark the start of this new project, which will be a valuable resource for Northland residents and a great improvement for our Boardwalk Branch customers,” said Steven V. Potter, MCPL director and CEO.
The Green Hills Library Center will be the home of the first public library Culinary Literacy Center in the region (more details to be released during the groundbreaking). The branch will span approximately 35,000 square feet and will offer a variety of modern amenities, including:
.An enclosed storytime room that seats 100
.Five collaboration rooms for customers to reserve for tutoring sessions, business meetings, etc.
.A community program room that seats 200+
.Outdoor seating area
.A coffee shop
“The Boardwalk Branch has been well used over the years, and we have loved serving the community from this location. However, we know our customers will be thrilled to have such a beautiful modern facility to call their home library,” said Becky Richardson, MCPL Boardwalk Branch manager. “With so much growth happening in our area, we are excited for the new opportunities we will have to offer our community from this larger facility.”
The construction of the Green Hills Library Center is part of MCPL’s ongoing Capital Improvement Plan, which it launched following the passage of Proposition L in 2016-the first increase to the library’s property tax levy in three decades.
The library is working with Sapp Design Architects, Helix Architecture + Design, and JE Dunn to execute the Capital Plan, which to date, has included the renovation or replacement of 24 branches and the construction of the brand-new East Lee’s Summit Branch off SE Blue Parkway. Currently, four MCPL branches are under construction and four more are scheduled to be constructed or renovated.
More information about all of the library’s construction projects can be found at mymcpl.org/Community.