Monday, September 28th, 2009
Updates Regarding the Re-Use of the Old Berryessa Library
First and foremost, I would like to thank you all for your patience regarding the re-use of the Old Berryessa Library. As you may already know, the City Council approved the authorization of staff to conduct an exclusive 90 day negotiation period with East Side Union High School District (ESUHSD) for a lease agreement for the former Berryessa Library building in December 2008. The City has continued negotiations with ESUHSD past the 90 day timeline but unfortunately, negotiations came to a halt over the summer due to the budget realities the school district was facing.
Conceptually, staff from ESUHSD and the City agreed to lease the vacant building to ESUHSD under City Council Policy 7-1 (below market lease, i.e. $1/mo.). Because the building is on park land, the City can only enter into a contract of 3 years, with the option of renewal. As part of the agreement, ESUHSD would incur the costs for the rehabilitation of the building. In addition, ESUHSD would have needed to remediate mold infestation, bring building to code (health, safety, ADA), and do tenant improvements necessary to accommodate their programmatic needs.
Given the recent budget constraints of ESUHSD and the monetary investment needed at the start, it proved to be difficult for ESUHSD to make a commitment at this time. Moreover, it has remained difficult to find a tenant who was willing to make such a large investment without a guarantee of a lease period longer than 3 years.
I have met with the City staff regarding next steps and agreed it was in the best interest to demolish the old Berryessa Library and expand the library’s current parking lot. I understand that this vacant building has been an ongoing eyesore in the community for the past few years and I believe that the expansion of the parking lot will better serve the increasing needs of the visitors at the Berryessa Branch Library.
A community meeting will be coordinated within the next few weeks to inform the community of the City’s decision and to provide a timeline for the demolition and construction.
I want to thank all the community panel members for their time and assistance during the Request for Proposal (RFP) selection process as well as the residents for their input and feedback. Please do not hesitate to contact me at district4@sanjoseca.gov or (408) 535-4904 if you have any further concerns.
Kansen
