One of Vancouver Public Library’s (VPL) oldest and smallest branch locations will see a major makeover and expansion over the coming years.
The municipal government is in the process of seeking an architectural team to design a new and expanded Marpole library branch at its existing location at the intersection of Granville Street and West 68th Avenue in Marpole Village.
The Marpole branch is currently 3,500 sq ft at 8386 Granville Street, which is a single-storey building with both the library branch and a 5,300 sq ft retail unit currently occupied by The Salvation Army Thrift Store.
The plan is to expand the library into the adjacent retail unit, replacing the thrift store, effectively more than doubling the size of the library to about 8,800 sq ft.
Upon inquiry, the City of Vancouver told Daily Hive Urbanized this project is estimated to cost $7.6 million.
“The Marpole Library expansion aims to enhance the library’s services and facility to better meet the current needs of seniors, families and students who come to this branch,” the City told Daily Hive Urbanized.
The project will provide not only expanded public space, but also additional staff space, washrooms, and building system and seismic upgrades. The existing configuration and condition of the building no longer meet the current or future demands of the growing Marpole neighbourhood.
Detailed design and various contract awards are expected to be completed later this year, with construction expected to take place between late 2025 and the third quarter of 2026 for nearly a year of work. However, it is anticipated the existing library space will remain open for the majority of this construction period.
Marpole branch of Vancouver Public Library. (Google Maps)
Marpole branch of Vancouver Public Library. (Google Maps)
The entire building is owned by the municipal government under the Property Endowment Fund. The building was originally built in 1955 and renovated in 1974 for the library branch. VPL leased this property for its branch up until 2013 when it was acquired by the municipal government for its potential redevelopment.
The City also told Daily Hive Urbanized that the municipal government will still plan for the broader redevelopment of this site over the long term.
The municipal government’s previous 2019-2022 capital plan mentioned the project of redeveloping the existing library at 8386 Granville Street into the Marpole Civic Centre — a brand new mixed-use building with a 17,000 sq ft library branch, a childcare facility for 69 kids, social/cultural non-profit space, and social housing. This would be a significantly sized project for Marpole Village.
A VPL board report in 2024 notes the new civic centre project is paused and not included in upcoming capital plans, and that the municipal government is currently turning its attention and resources to building the nearby new $91 million Marpole-Oakridge Community Centre, which began construction in late 2023 and is expected to reach completion later in 2025.
VPL has various other ongoing capital plan projects, including the new replacement and expanded Oakridge library branch, which is privately funded and built as a part of the 100,000 sq ft civic centre integrated into a social housing tower at Quadreal Property Group and Westbank’s social housing tower at the new Oakridge Park mall development. Depending on the overall progress on the development’s construction, the civic centre with the new library and community and recreation spaces is expected to open later in 2025. The new library will be the second-largest VPL location.
The new Oakridge civic centre with the VPL Oakridge library branch; August 2019 artistic rendering of 728 West 41st Avenue, Vancouver – northwest corner of the Oakridge Centre redevelopment. (Henriquez Partners Architects/Westbank/Quadreal Property Group)
Floor use of Oakridge Community Centre in Vancouver. (Henriquez Partners Architects/Westbank/Quadreal Property Group)
Artistic rendering of Oakridge Community Centre in Vancouver. (Henriquez Partners Architects/Westbank/Quadreal Property Group)
There is also a desire to relocate and expand the Collingwood branch location. The current location at 2985 Kingsway (the northwest corner of the intersection of Kingsway and Rupert Street) was built in 1951 and renovated in 1996 and 2009. Spanning 5,200 sq ft, this is another small branch, with 2,900 sq ft of public space and 1,200 sq ft of basement storage space.
In 2020, a rezoning application was submitted to redevelop the nearby site of 5163-5187 Joyce Street into a 32-storey mixed-use tower with condominiums, retail/restaurant space, and a new replacement, expanded, and relocated Collingwood library branch, spanning nearly 15,000 sq ft. This site is more centrally located and accessible in the neighbourhood, just south of SkyTrain’s Joyce-Collingwood Station.
However, this proposal has stalled; the VPL board report notes that there has been no movement on the rezoning application since 2021 and that if this site does not proceed, the City will begin exploring alternate locations for a new Collingwood branch co-located with retail, housing, and/or other amenities.
VPL is also considering its options to renew its Britannia and Joe Fortes (West End) branches and open express library locations in the Senakw rental housing complex, East Fraser Lands (River District), and the Rupert and Renfrew Station Area Plan. There are also longer-term plans for a non-traditional Indigenous-oriented library at the future Jericho Lands redevelopment, with considerations on how it could complement the existing West Point Grey library branch, which recently relocated to an expanded location.
Additionally, improvements are also planned for the Central branch at Library Square in downtown Vancouver, including an expansion and redesign of the Children’s library in the basement level, and various upgrades for some of the upper levels.
2021 preliminary conceptual design of the renovated Children’s Library at the Central Branch of Vancouver Public Library. Not the final design. (DA Architects & Planners/Safdie Architects)
2021 preliminary conceptual design of the renovated Children’s Library at the Central Branch of Vancouver Public Library. Not the final design. (DA Architects & Planners/Safdie Architects)
2021 preliminary conceptual design of the renovated Children’s Library at the Central Branch of Vancouver Public Library. Not the final design. (DA Architects & Planners/Safdie Architects)