Planning Board Approves New McAuliffe Library Branch Project

The Framingham Planning Board gave the go ahead to the Framingham Library to begin construction on its new library branch on Water Street Thursday night.

The Framingham Library Foundation and the Framingham Library Trustees plan to construct a new Christa McAuliffe Library Branch at 746 Water St. in the Nobscot section of town.

With the approval, the construction process can begin. A groundbreaking will be in mid-July, said Library Building Committee Chair Sam Klaidman.

In October 2012, the Framingham Library Foundation and the Framingham Library Trustees were awarded a $4.186 million grant from the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners towards the estimated total construction cost is $8.6 million.

In May 2013, a Special Town Meeting voted 149-1 to build the new Christa McAuliffe branch library. Taxpayers share of the project is about $3.8 million, which will be funded over a 20-year capital bond.

The proposed one-story, L-shaped library will be about triple the size of the current library branch in Saxonville. 

The new Nobscot library branch will be about 17,000 square feet and have parking for 55 vehicles. 

The goal is to have the new branch open in fall of 2015, said Klaidman.