New City Library

PROJECT: New Moorpark City Library

ABOUT THE PROJECT:

Recognizing that the needs of the community have outgrown the capabilities of the City’s public library, the City has embarked on a project to construct a new, modern library to serve our residents. The Moorpark Library Needs Assessment and Building Program study provides additional details about the project.

CURRENT WORK:

On August 6, 2025 the Moorpark City Council formally approved a contract for construction of the new Moorpark City Library. This milestone marks the culmination of years of planning, outreach, fiscal preparation, and community support, and brings the City one step closer to realizing the vision of a new, modern City Library serving residents and drawing visitors to a revitalized downtown area. Construction of the Library began in Fall of 2025.

SUPPORT THE NEW LIBRARY:

Commemorative Brick Fundraiser. Memorialize your support for the new library with a personalized brick for the library’s entry walkway. Join the Moorpark Friends of the Library and the Moorpark Morning Rotary Club in this special fundraising campaign and help make the new library a dynamic and treasured resource for our city. New Moorpark City Library: Brick Fundraiser Info!

In 2016, the Moorpark City Council selected a site for the new Moorpark City Library on the north side of High Street, across from the Post Office, and approved moving forward with the library’s design. The location was selected not only to support the ongoing development of the downtown area, but also because of its proximity to several neighborhood schools. In 2017, a consultant was brought on to help gather community input and guide the library’s planning and programming to ensure that the ultimate layout and function of the library will meet the community’s needs. The new library is part of a broader Civic Center Master Plan that envisions a future civic center/city hall development adjacent to the library, creating strong civic hub at the west end of High Street. For now, however, the City’s focus is bringing the new library to life.

DESIGN:

Agrarian Inspired Design. On June 1, 2022 the City Council, with input from the Moorpark community, selected an agrarian inspired architectural design for the new library. This style was meant to pay homage to the agricultural past of Moorpark, which began largely as a farming community in the late 1800’s. The building is designed to evoke feelings of a barn that’s been repurposed into a library, with use of barn doors and accordion windows to allow programming to spill outside onto the porches. The interior of the facility will feature similar barn style architectural elements with wood beams and natural light, while still being an efficient modern building.

Agrarian Inspired Architecture Opens in new window

(click here to view images)

PAST EVENTS AND ACTIVITIES:

ARCHITECTURAL STYLE SELECTION: On June 1, 2022 the Moorpark City Council considered potential architectural styles for the new library, ultimately selecting an agrarian-inspired design. [View Meeting]

LIBRARY ARCHITECTURE SURVEY: An online survey collected public input on the Library Architecture options in May ahead of the discussion with the Moorpark City Council on June 1st.

COMMUNITY WORKSHOP: On May 16, 2022 the City’s held an in-person community workshop to showcase two new design proposals for the new library architecture, one inspired by agrarian architecture, and one inspired by industrial architecture. Click here for more information about the two design options.

SPECIAL CITY COUNCIL MEETING: On March 24, 2021 the City's design team updated the City Council on the progress to date and received guidance on the floorplan layout and exterior design. [View Meeting]

TEEN COUNCIL WORKSHOP: On March 3, 2021 the Moorpark Teen Council hosted a discussion between the City's planning team and teens from the Moorpark community to discuss features planned for the teen space in the new Library.

COMMUNITY WORKSHOP 2: On February 24, 2021 the City held its second community workshop for the New City Library. This virtual event provided updates on the development process and collected input on the children's space, teen space and preliminary architectural considerations. [Watch Community Workshop 2]

COMMUNITY WORKSHOP 1: On Wednesday, December 9, 2021 the City held its first community workshop for the New City Library. This virtual event provided updates on the development process and collected input on various aspects of the Library. [Watch Community Workshop 1]

COMMUNITY SURVEY: In 2018 a survey was distributed to collect feedback about what features the community wished to see in the new facility. A total of 756 responses were collected and used by the library consultant in planning the new facility.

PROJECT FUNDING:

To date the City has secured grant funding totaling $6.2 million for the new Moorpark City Library project. In March 2022, City staff applied for a California Library Infrastructure Grant in the amount of $4.6 million. These grant funds are typically awarded to library renovation projects, however City staff was able to show that new construction was more cost effective than renovating the existing library and scored favorably on the grant. In addition to the Infrastructure Grant, Congresswoman Julia Brownley has secured a total of $1.6 million in federal Community Project Funding Grant funds for the project. Together these two grants total $6.2 million, or 23% of the library construction cost of $27 million.