The City of San Diego’s Department of Real Estate and Airport Management has purchased the parking lot located at the cross sections of Golfcrest Drive and Jackson Drive, immediately adjacent to the current San Carlos Branch Library, in a major step in the process of finally constructing a new library for the community.

“The San Carlos neighborhood has waited for a new library for decades – and at last, we’re taking a huge step towards getting that done,” said Councilmember Raul Campillo. “Moving this forward has been a key priority over my first 2.5 years on the Council. It’s time now to push this project over the finish line and close the funding gap so that construction can begin, and ultimately, the community gets a new library sooner.”

Though more dollars must be secured before the project is fully funded, the purchase of the parking lot is a major moment for the community that has been more than 30 years in the making. Decades ago, the parking lot was an ARCO gas station. Once it became vacant, it was envisioned as an expansion opportunity for the current, adjacent San Carlos Library, which is much smaller than City standards. In 1995, former District 7 Councilmember Judy McCarty secured a lease with the option for the City to purchase the lot for $150,000.

However, due to the environmental impact of the gas station, the City was not able to fully purchase the property or start to build anything on it until full cleanup and mitigation of petroleum substances had been finalized. In the intervening years, signs hung up around the lot reminding community members about the new library. Last year, after advocacy from current Councilmember Raul Campillo, and extensive coordination between the City of San Diego and the consultant working to remove the site contamination, Stantec, the San Diego Water Quality Control Board finally recommended that the case be closed, and issued a No Further Action letter. This prompted the City of San Diego to conduct its final due diligence and negotiate a final purchase sale agreement with the owner of the lot, Tesoro Refining & Marketing Company, to purchase the lot for the 1995 agreed-upon price of $150,000. The City of San Diego is now the owner of the lot and can proceed with its plans for a new flagship library branch. San Carlos residents have waited for this moment for decades.

“The new San Carlos Library is one of those long-planned projects that should have been done yesterday,” said Mayor Todd Gloria. “Thanks to the leadership of Councilmember Raul Campillo plus funding and advocacy from Congresswoman Sara Jacobs and Senate President Pro Tem Toni Atkins, we are a big step closer to building the state-of-the-art library that San Carlos residents deserve.”

Now that the City owns the lot, the next step in the process is to close the funding gap to complete design and construction of the new branch. The City allocated $5 million in Fiscal Year 2024 from locally collected Development Impact Fees, which is being used as a local match for a state library grant that could potentially provide an additional $10 million.

Meanwhile, Congresswoman Sara Jacobs is championing federal funding in the House Appropriations Committee, to help fund construction of the project. Last year, the Congresswoman helped secure $500,000 for an Early Learning Lab at the Linda Vista Library, also located in District 7.

“Libraries are the heart of every community, helping to build connections, bridge divides, and educate and empower kids and adults,” said Congresswoman Sara Jacobs. “That’s why I’m so glad we’re making progress to deliver the long-awaited San Carlos Branch Library for the Navajo community to help meet their growing needs. I fought hard to advance federal funding for this project in the House Appropriations Committee – even with a Republican majority – and I’ll keep pushing to get it over the finish line and into our community.”

On Saturday, Aug. 5, the community gathered to celebrate the purchase of the new lot and to drum up energy for the new library. Mayor Todd Gloria, Congresswoman Sara Jacobs, Councilmember Raul Campillo, San Diego Public Library Director Misty Jones, and Patrick Stewart, CEO of the Library Foundation SD, spoke to community members. Additionally, community members enjoyed a live music performance from a local bass quartet, arts and crafts, library mascot Odi the Coyote, a book sale put on by the Friends of the San Carlos Library, and more. 

Reach Councilmember Raul Campillo's office by phone at 619-236-6677, or by email at RaulCampillo@sandiego.gov. Sign up for Councilmember Campillo's email newsletter here.