Toledo Library Invites Residents to Help Shape New South Toledo Branch

Daily Dose  |  05/04/2026 3:30 pm

What:
The Toledo Lucas County Public Library is hosting several community engagement opportunities in May to collect neighborhood feedback on a new branch to be built on Detroit Avenue near Glendale Avenue in South Toledo.

This round of engagement focuses on hearing what residents need from the new location, as well as their vision for the building.

Opportunities include feedback boards at the Heatherdowns Branch, tabling at community events and a community listening pop-up at the Kroger on Glendale Avenue.

The Collaborative and Group 4 Architecture, Research + Planning—the design team for the new branch—are helping the Library facilitate these engagement activities.

A second round of community listening sessions is tentatively scheduled for mid- to late June.

Schedule:
Community feedback boards
Now through May 22
Heatherdowns Branch
3265 Glanzman Rd.
Toledo, Ohio

Community listening pop-up
Wednesday, May 6: 11:30 a.m.-6:30 p.m.
Kroger
2555 Glendale Ave.
Toledo, Ohio

Community listening pop-up
Tuesday, May 12: 9:30-10:30 a.m.
Coffee Shop Book Club at Plate 21
3664 Rugby Dr.
Toledo, Ohio

Community listening pop-up
Saturday, May 16: 4-8 p.m.
Plate 21 Spring Market
3664 Rugby Dr.
Toledo, Ohio

Significance:
The new library on Detroit Avenue will replace the former Toledo Heights Branch, which closed in December 2025 following operational funding cuts from the state. The Heatherdowns Branch will remain open until the new location is completed in 2028.

The new site is located approximately halfway between the two branches, improving access and ensuring continued library service for South Toledo residents.

The project represents a significant public investment in South Toledo’s community infrastructure and future growth. It is expected to expand access to technology, meeting space and modern learning environments.

The design phase is underway and will continue through the first quarter of 2027. Construction is anticipated to begin in early 2027, with a tentative opening planned for the second quarter of 2028.

In November 2024, Lucas County voters approved a one-mill bond to fund capital improvements across the Toledo Library system. The $153 million investment supports reconfiguration, renovation, expansion or new construction at nearly all Toledo Library locations over the next decade.

The Detroit Avenue branch is part of the first phase of the Library’s master plan, which also includes new buildings for the Washington and Holland branches, as well as a new library in Whitehouse, Ohio.

Website:
toledolibrary.org/locations/consolidationbranch