Seminole Heights Library Expansion will Expand Both Space and Function

Initial plans for the expansion of the were unveiled Monday at a Friends of the Seminole Heights Library meeting.

About 20 people gathered at the library to view early renderings of what the new, two-story building will look like. Architects Sol Fleischman and Michael Stinson of Fleischman Garcia Architecture spent an hour speaking to attendees about what the expansion will look like.*

By March of 2013, the library will have undergone a$4 million dollar makeover. The expansion will add a second story, inviting windows and brick masonry in the bungalow style that is a nod to the neighborhood architecture found in residences and schools in the area.  

The most obvious changes to the building will be to the exterior.  Similar to buildings in Ybor City, the new library will use form-based zoning. Instead of the library being set  far back from the street, the new library will sit closer to the street.

Bill Hand, senior project manager with Hillsborough County, started the meeting by letting attendees know that the plans were preliminary with room for change and improvement. The meeting also served as a forum for resident input.

“We aren’t presenting a final drawing, but a starting point,” said Hand.

Hand said that the final plans should be completed by November, and construction will begin in early spring of 2012.  The library will remain open until construction begins.

Form-based zoning has been used in the city of Miami and in St. Petersburg for new buildings. Seminole Heights will be the first area in Tampa where the form-based zoning will take place for a new development in Tampa, Hand said.

“This allows buildings to be closer to the street which will give more life to the area,” he said.

Additionally, the exterior will include screened porches, covered walkways, a landscaped courtyard and parking will expand from 16 spaces to 60 spaces, many of which will be covered.

The real transformation is in the purpose of the library. The focus shifts from the library being a place where people simply check out books to a space that functions as a social hub. 

With the addition of the large glass windows, passersby will see people enjoying the community spaces, thus creating an inviting atmosphere, Hand said.

The first floor will be largely dedicated to community rooms and a possible hybrid bookstore and café.  It will most likely be supervised by a security guard.

The second floor will feature quiet study areas, computers, a children’s room and a teen room.  With use of an open floor plan, the second floor will create less space for people to hide, and provide the staff with natural supervision said Hand.

“The focus of the new building is to provide more people space,” said Carrie Hurst, supervisor of the Seminole Heights Branch Library. “There is less of a focus on collections, and more of a focus on space for people.”

*This article contains a correction to Sol Fleischman's name.