Larkspur’s new library might come with more green space.
The City Council received an update on the project at its meeting on Wednesday. City staff said design changes allow for additional landscaping and gardens. City consultants presented concepts for the space.
“I think it looks beautiful,” Mayor Catherine Way said.
A new $17.5 million library is planned at the Commons, a city-owned parcel at the corner of Rose Lane and Doherty Drive. The project kicked off in February 2024 when the city awarded a contract to Alten Construction in Richmond. Site work started in January.
The library walls and roof are being framed, and the project is on schedule, Public Works Director Julian Skinner said. Work is expected to wrap up in March 2026.
“Everything is progressing as it should,” Skinner said.
Funding for the project includes $6.2 million in state and state-targeted grants; $5.9 million from the Commons Foundation; and $2.8 million from the town’s general fund.
About $12.7 million has been set aside for the construction company, Skinner said. About $360,000 has not yet been spent, providing a contingency allowance, Skinner said. About $750,000 will be spent to add a lane to Rose Lane.
“So when you come out of Rose Lane to go to Doherty, there’s a left turn lane there so you can go through, and there will also be a dedicated left turn lane,” Skinner said.
A design change that shifted the parking lot south created a space in the commons area for more landscaping, which is not currently funded, Skinner said. The Commons Foundation is continuing to raise money that could be used for this, he said.
Additionally, the project could include a habitat garden along the south and east borders of the site. A nonprofit, Refugia Marin, has expressed interest in funding and maintaining a habitat garden, Skinner said.
Kossen Miller, a landscape architect with city consultant RHAA, said the library’s landscaped area could be a flexible open space with some program-focused elements, like an area to host small events, a child-friendly space, educational signage, and places to quietly read or meditate.
Miller said the open space surface could be gravel or pebbles instead of grass. There are Americans with Disabilities Act accessible concrete paths to all areas of the site.
“As much as I love a huge grass lawn, I don’t think it’s the right use for the open space,” Councilmember Sarah Margulies said.
There will be landscaping around the perimeter of the area, shade trees and biofiltration landscaping. Furnishings could be both fixed and movable, like a stone bench versus cafe chairs, Miller said.
“Definitely trying to give people a connection to nature with natural materials, keep things contemporary to be in line with the building design, but also making sure we’re thinking about mobility and how folks get to this site in terms of biking, walking and also vehicular,” Miller said.
Way suggested the library subcommittee meet with the consultants to dive into options regarding landscaping and return to the City Council in a few months.