Denver’s smallest branch library at 900 square feet lives in the Westwood neighborhood.

It’s so small that it cannot meet the needs of the neighborhood, which is why the Denver City Council will consider a $5.9 million purchase and sale agreement seeking to build a new library one mile north. 

The agreement, if approved by council, will allow the city to buy a 6,000-square-foot condominium unit. Plans call for it to be extensively renovated into a large new library. 

During its weekly meeting Tuesday, the finance and governance committee approved sending the purchase and sale agreement to the full council body. 

Westwood’s current, tiny library resides within the Westwood Community Center and does not have the capacity to support neighborhood needs, according to Lisa Lumley of Denver’s Division of Real Estate. 

The new library will fix the capacity problem, and sends clear message to the residents of Westwood and the city as a whole, according to Council President Jamie Torres. 

“When we talk about investing in underinvested neighborhoods in Denver, Westwood is one of those neighborhoods,” Torres said. “This is what it looks like when we say we want investment in community resources and not law enforcement. This is exactly what it looks like.”

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The new library would be located at 3300 W. Nevada Place in the Westwood Redeemer church property. Part of the church will remain, but a significant portion will be rebuilt to house the new library.

Money for the purchase is provided in part by the RISE Denver general obligation bond. Torres also praised the unorthodox method of funding and building the new library, which could open at the end of this year. 

“It is out of the box thinking about how do we leverage what’s happening throughout the city,” Torres said. “We are tacking on to an existing development project, adding a library that (Lifespan Local LLC) will build, that we then buy from them, that then becomes a city facility.” 

The committee also sent a lease agreement with Comfort Inn to the full council body, allowing the city to rent a hotel property at 4685 Quebec St. The 138-room hotel provides private rooms for families in need of both short and long term support and can shelter up to 400 individuals. 

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The hotel may be the latest in a string of hotel purchases and rentals the City has made as it struggles to meet the surge in homelessness. Shelter needs among families increased by 244% in 2022, according to Angie Nelson, deputy director of the Department of Housing Stability. 

“At this time, we’re prioritizing this resource for those who are literally experiencing homelessness,” Nelson said. “So either in a shelter in a place not meant for human habitation or staying on the streets.”