Library

The Library/Park Project by the Numbers

(Source: City records) 

                          Will building on the triangle take away green space?

            4100      Added square feet of park land if the triangle becomes a mini-park.

         12,000      Added square feet of park land if the library goes on the triangle, Mason becomes park land and the old library site is reclaimed.

200        Lineal feet of park land bordering Columbus Avenue if the library is placed on the triangle and Mason is closed.  

              Will closing Mason create a traffic problem?

                     25      Average number of seconds between cars traveling in either direction on Mason Street during peak evening commute hours.

                   <10      Average delay, in seconds, at peak commute hours at the intersections surrounding the triangle.

                     +1      Anticipated additional delay, in seconds, if Mason is closed.

                               Will closing Mason create a safety problem?

0     Number of City departments, including Fire and Police, that are opposed to the   closing of Mason Street.

               Is the current library historically important?

             8      Number of libraries designed by Appleton-Wolfard in the 1950s and 60s.

             6      Number of Appleton-Wolfard libraries being renovated.

             8      (Last) Rank of the North Beach Branch compared to the other Appleton-Wolfard branches for adherence to original appearance and layout and adaptability to modern structural and accessibility requirements.

 Is the planned library too small?

               2^nd      (Smallest) Relative size of the current library as compared to other City branches, at 5330 sf.

       8500 sf      Planned size of new library (60% bigger).

       8400 sf      Average size of neighborhood branch libraries (up from 6900 sf before the Branch Library Improvement Program began).

                Is the planned library too big?

                  26 ft      Height of the current library above the playground.

                  30 ft      Proposed average height of the new library.

                  37 ft      Average height of the surrounding residential buildings.

                  48 ft      Average height above grade of the proposed 701 Lombard condos.

 Was there adequate public process?

                   5      Number of community meetings held between 4/08 & 2/09.

                 80      Average number of people attending each of those meetings.

                   7      (Out of 7) Number of Library Commissioners that voted in favor of the proposed master plan .

                   7      (Out of 7) Number of RecPark Commissioners that voted in favor of the proposed master plan.

                   3      (Out of 3) Number of Arts Commission Civic Design Review members that voted in favor of the conceptual design for the new library. 

                             Should we wait and look for more options?

                  27      Number of branches in the San Francisco library system.

                  26      Number of branches that have been renovated, constructed or had renovation plans initiated since 2000. North Beach is the last branch in the system to be upgraded, partially due to “neighborhood process.”

                    6      Years since first community meeting on the North Beach Branch renovation.

                  58      Number of different library locations and configurations considered for the North Beach Branch during the last 18 months.