Three of Salt Lake City’s most cherished libraries could get big-time improvements in the coming years.

Downtown’s Main Library, the Anderson-Foothill Branch in the Foothill-Sunnyside neighborhood and the Day-Riverside Branch in Rose Park all would see substantial overhauls or complete rebuilds as part of a proposed $85 million bond that is set — at least for now — to be issued sometime in 2028 or 2029.

City Council and the city’s Library Board have already approved nearly $6 million to prepare for these facelifts as part of the city’s most recent budget.

On the table: A complete replacement for sagging Anderson-Foothill; an expanded footprint and streamlining for Day-Riverside; and revamping and realigning floor-by-floor the spaces of Main Library — all to more closely match community needs.

And under the latest timeline, it would all begin with a request for proposals sent to potential developers sometime in 2027.

But hold on, library lovers. Looking ahead, even though all three libraries are considered community jewels, some members of the City Council are wary of future hits to residents’ pocketbooks.

In other words, ultimate approval of the bond is not a given right now.

“I’ve made no secret of this: I am in support of us moving forward with what we’ve allocated so far, but it’s an intent,” said council member Victoria Petro, whose west-side District 1 residents have some of the lowest incomes citywide.

“If economic conditions don’t change, I cannot ask my neighbors to continue going into their pockets for things that are nice to have,” she said.

Right now, debt service on such a bond is expected to add about $4.76 per month to the average residential property tax bill. Depending on future circumstances, that could come on top of an ongoing affordability crunch and hikes in property taxes and utility rates.

Libraries as crucial community hubs

Noah Baskett, CEO of the Salt Lake City Public Library, said the city’s libraries are these days as essential as streets, parks and water, sewer and electrical lines in terms of the critical role they serve.

“Libraries are not simply repositories of books or quiet places to study,” Baskett told the council this week. “They have evolved into our communities’ living rooms, technology centers, classrooms, cultural landmarks and nurturers of urban vitality.”

Topping the renovation list, at least in terms of cost, is Anderson-Foothill, which is 40 years old and sits on unstable soils. Its overhaul would carry a $49 million price tag, mostly to replace the current structurally unsound building with a new two-story library that is more friendly with its surroundings.

It’s also among the most heavily used library branches citywide, according to Baskett, who was hired as library CEO in 2024.

Based on more than a year of community input, he said, the replacement library would have bigger spaces for children; quieter corners for reading, study and co-working; and more spots for community meetings.

The proposed overhaul would also add 32 stalls of underground parking.

Initial renderings also show a library building better integrated with 2100 East and Emigration Creek, which runs on the property’s south side.

Day-Riverside Library in Rose Park

With demand from kids, teens, adults and dozens of community groups, room capacity at Day-Riverside Library in Rose Park, Baskett said, is at a premium.

“In addition to there not being enough space for all of these competing demands of the people that show up every single day,” he said, “there’s also not a room large enough for the neighborhood to gather.”

The west-side library branch, Baskett said, also serves a range of crucial community needs, from literacy programs and providing residents a place to find high-speed internet access and apply for jobs to offering after-school spaces for students at nearby Escalante and Rose Park elementary schools.

“The needs of this library also represent an equity investment for our city,” Baskett said. “West-side residents have long asked for public buildings that match the quality found elsewhere in the city, and the kind of library that we want to deliver for the city delivers on that.”

The proposed bond would devote $32 million to Day-Riverside, he said, to almost double its floor space and remodel it to take better advantage of its proximity to the Jordan River for new outdoor programming.

Improvements to Main Library

The rest of the $85 million bond, if approved, would pay for substantial upgrades to the city library system’s flagship Main Library.

Designed by world-renowned architect Moshe Safdie, the city landmark is now 24 years old. Salt Lake City’s population has doubled over that time, Baskett noted, which has upped library patronage and altered how the facility is used.

Its proposed overhaul would reshape all five floors, Baskett said, to better meet new demand for more meeting rooms and digital access as well as add quiet, work and creative spaces. The construction would expand capacity for social services, which are an increasing part of the library’s mission, too.

“The redesign that’s needed for this building,” Baskett told the City Council, “really is in response to how Salt Lakers are increasingly using it.”

That said, most of what the library system might pump toward bettering Main Library, the CEO said, is expected to come from philanthropy — as part of a planned $5 million fundraising campaign — as well as what’s currently in the library system’s fund balance.