A Nov. 2, 2026, photo of the building that was the Elk Grove Branch of the Sacramento Public Library, 8900 Elk Grove Blvd. The city might repurpose the building as a center for teens. Photo by Keith Burbank

ELK GROVE, CA (MPG) - City Council members gave city staff unanimous consent Oct. 28 to explore transforming the former Elk Grove Library into a center mainly for teens and youth in the city.

At the council’s meeting that night, Assistant City Manager Jaqui Guzmán and Senior Management Analyst Aishwarya Kumar presented the results of a six-month effort to find out what Elk Grove residents want to do with the city-owned former library building at 8900 Elk Grove Blvd. The consensus that emerged from 14 meetings, an online survey and social media input that produced 700 contributions and 3,478 written ideas is to transform the building into a teen and youth center.

According to the staff report, 43% of participants across all engagement groups identified the center as a priority, especially the teens themselves.

“A main comment we heard was a safe space that could be used for free,” Kumar told the council.

A second leading use identified by residents was turning the building into a creative arts, music and digital media center. A third was transforming it into a community meeting and co-working space for nonprofit organizations in the city.

Meeting and shared working space was identified as a need by 75% of participants in the nonprofit focus group and public meeting session.

“This was among the most consistent identified community need,” Guzmán said.

Community learning and resource hubs and a community kitchen and café were also among the top six recommendations staff identified as potential uses based on community input.

During council discussion, members said the two community hub concepts were likely being provided by other groups but could also be incorporated to a smaller extent into the teen center.

Council chose by consensus to remove the kitchen and café concept from consideration for two reasons. One, the cost to operate a kitchen would be high, and two, Elk Grove has a rentable commercial kitchen at the District56 Community Center.

A Nov. 2, 2026, photo of a mural on the building that was the Elk Grove Branch of the Sacramento Public Library, 8900 Elk Grove Blvd. The city might repurpose the building as a center for teens. Photo by Keith Burbank

The former library building located at the corner of Elk Grove Boulevard and Waterman Road is a two-story, 13,785 square foot structure. The building is in the Old Town Special Planning Area and carries a commercial zoning designation.

Following the renovation of the former 18,147 square foot Rite Aid building at 9260 Elk Grove Blvd. – which has become the new library – the City Council approved a December 2025 proposal to engage in community outreach to determine the future use of the old library.

Staff conducted the outreach from April through September and focused on three objectives: developing a creative and feasible vision through community input, enriching the “civic fabric of the city” and ensuring any outcomes align with council vision and strategic priorities.

In giving staff direction on which way to proceed, the council consensus was to focus on a teen and youth center that included space for creative arts, music and digital media along with shared meeting and working space for nonprofits.

Vice Mayor Darren Suen envisioned teen and youth activities downstairs while upstairs could be a quieter space for meetings — a combination that could bring nonprofits and teens together.

“Combining the nonprofits with youth could provide them (youth) a chance to learn about volunteer opportunities,” Suen added.

Councilman Sergio Robles, a strong proponent of the teen center, asked if there were regional examples of a creative arts, music and digital media center mixed with a teen center. Guzmán said she had heard of a few in the San Francisco Bay area but nothing locally.

“I think this would be pretty unique for our region,” she added.

Council also gave consensus for staff to move forward with a feasibility study of the former library building. Guzmán said this would include more in-depth analysis of community demands along with funding sources.

Of particular focus would be determining how best to operate the facility — would the city be the sole operator, would it be run as a public-private partnership or would it be a fully private operation.

“That is a very key question along with what uses are the most viable,” Guzmán added.

Since completion of the outreach program, the city learned Oct. 1 that the city-owned building at 8978 Elk Grove Blvd. had also become available for use with the end of the Teen Center USA lease. The 2,808 square foot single-story structure was acquired by the city in 2005 using federally-provided Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds and needs “significant maintenance” before a future use can be determined.

To provide the city flexibility with how to use the former Teen Center USA building, staff recommended and council agreed to begin the process of repaying the CDBG funds. Not doing so would limit the city to only the uses authorized by the federal program.

Guzmán said they have yet to conduct an appraisal of the building’s assessed value. The grant repayment is estimated at 75% of the property’s fair market value.

City Manager Jason Behrmann clarified the General Fund would be used to repay the grant, while the amount transferred to Elk Grove’s CDBG funding account would be spent elsewhere.

“That money doesn’t get returned to the federal government,” Behrmann said. “It actually stays local.”