Symons Valley Centre library breaks ground in Sage Hill with $43M investment

City officials and Calgary Public Library staff broke ground Wednesday afternoon on Phase Two of Symons Valley Centre Library in Sage Hill, marking the start of construction on a permanent 15,000-square-foot facility designed to serve northwest Calgary's rapidly growing communities.

The project, developed on seven acres of city-owned land, represents a $43 million investment in the first phases. Phase Two includes the new library, a multi-modal street, underground parking facilities, and outdoor community space. Work is expected to continue into 2028.

The library will replace a temporary location that opened in Sage Hill Crossing in 2017. That temporary branch circulated over 180,000 books last year, according to Calgary Public Library CEO Sarah Meilleur. "This library and the users of this library circulated over 180,000 books last year," Meilleur said. "When we host story times, the entire library gets to participate, and it's hard for people to find seats because it's just too small. We're so excited for the new 15,000 square foot Symons Valley Library."

Mayor Jeromy Farkas emphasized the timing. "Calgary needs to ensure that city infrastructure is growing in tandem with the population," he said. "The Symons Valley Centre is being developed on seven acres of city-owned land with $43 million of investment in these first phases, and its heart will be a new permanent library serving northwest Calgary. But this project is more than a building."

Ward 2 Councillor Jennifer Wyness noted the challenge of keeping pace with growth. "The unfortunate truth is I am building out and up at the same time," Wyness said. "You see that we're surrounded by five to 15 story buildings across the street, there's 34 more towers coming in, and so we just don't have the services. Building a library like this allows us to show that we have not forgotten about where people are choosing to live."