The Burbank Central Library and Public Plaza Project is a transformative initiative aimed at updating Downtown Burbank’s civic core and enhancing its role as a community gathering space. Supported by a grant from the California State Library fund, the project envisions the construction of a new, state-of-the-art Burbank Central Library as part of a broader redevelopment of the existing Civic Center. The project responds to the limitations of the current Central Library, originally built in 1963, which no longer meets the evolving needs of Burbank’s growing and diverse population. The City’s goal is to reimagine the new Central Library and Public Plaza as a vital, accessible, and sustainable community destination that supports learning, connection, and civic life.

In Fall 2025, TRG developed a comprehensive outreach plan to guide community engagement and ensure that the voices of Burbank residents directly shape the project’s design and features. The outreach strategy centers on understanding how the new space could best serve the community, with a focus on sustainability, inclusivity, and feasibility. TRG’s engagement efforts combines multiple interactive and data-driven methods to reach residents where they are, including:

• A community-wide survey designed to assess satisfaction with existing library programs and amenities and identify priorities for new features and programming for the New Central Library and Public Plaza.
• Three open house workshops beginning with an October 2025 session featuring a guided tour of the current Central Library and interactive input stations.
• Six pop-up events and three town halls designed to capture input from a broad cross-section of the community.

Through this extensive outreach, residents provided feedback on desired amenities, such as open event spaces, community gathering areas, and improved accessibility. With the combined engagement of TRG, MOCA, and city’s staff, many Burbank community members were able to submit their feedback on the project. Over 525 attendees across community workshops and meetings, approximately 6,200 visitors at pop-up and focus groups, approximately 400 survey responses, and approximately 6,700 visits to the project website.

All outreach materials, such as the workshop boards and the community survey, were translated into Spanish and Armenian to reach a broad range of Burbank residents and library users. Through this extensive outreach, residents provided valuable feedback on their desired priority amenities and programs for the future library and plaza, such as art classes, performance spaces, and special markets.

Guided by community input and a shared vision of connectivity and innovation, the project will establish a dynamic civic destination, one that reflects the values, aspirations, and creativity of Burbank’s residents while strengthening the downtown’s role as a thriving hub for education, culture, and public life.