Wake County weighs Athens Drive library move, site debate continues

Wake County commissioners edged closer to a decision on the future of Athens Drive Community Library, and the stakes are immediate for southwest Raleigh residents who use the branch now. The library sits inside Athens Drive High School, making it the only Wake County Public Library location in a school building, and the county is now choosing whether to keep its replacement near that neighborhood or move it to Cary.

On Monday, commissioners focused on two sites: the Well Fed Community Garden parcel across Athens Drive from the current library, and a larger property near Tryon Road and Yates Mill Pond Road in Cary. The current-area option would keep the library in southwest Raleigh, where Friends of Athens Drive Community Library members have long argued it belongs. The Cary option would give the county more land for future growth, but it would also shift the branch farther from the community that has used it since 1978.

The practical difference is who can get there easily. County materials say the bond plan is meant to help more residents live within a 10-minute drive of a library, and the Cary site would still meet that goal. Even so, it would serve fewer residents overall than a branch anchored in southwest Raleigh. That has made access the central issue for families, students and seniors who depend on a nearby public library for books, computer access and daily use.

Cost and fit also drove the debate. The Well Fed site is about 2.6 acres and would likely require a two-story building, which raised concerns about expense and design. Earlier staff discussion put the asking price around $1.8 million, while the county appraisal was lower. Commissioner Vickie Adamson backed the Cary site, saying the larger parcel made more sense for long-term planning and finances. She was the only commissioner making that case, while others appeared to lean toward keeping the branch in the Raleigh area.

The library move is part of Wake County’s broader $142 million library bond, which voters approved by about 56% in November 2024. County materials say $16.3 million is set aside for the Athens Drive replacement within a $67.1 million construction category that also covers new libraries in Rolesville and the Apex Friendship area, plus relocations and renovations elsewhere. Wake County says the Athens Drive replacement is tied to renovations at Athens Drive High School, and current planning materials place that school work in 2029. Commissioners were still expected to take a final vote after Monday’s meeting, leaving southwest Raleigh’s library future unresolved for now.