Palm Desert Begins Work on New Library

Palm Desert is set to begin laying the groundwork this morning for what will become the city’s new, fully owned library. Demolition crews are scheduled to begin taking down the two-story Parkview Office Building at the city’s Civic Center campus, home to Civic Center Park and City Hall.

The city alerted the public on social media that crews would begin their work at approximately 7:45 a.m. Wednesday morning, with the demolition phase set to last well into June. Be advised that those visiting and living in the area may hear increased noise during daytime work hours and heavy equipment in the area.

The new facility will be home to not only the new library facility, but also a Visitor Center, cafe, and a community meeting room. Construction is set to begin in the summer of 2026, with an early 2028 opening time expected. 

The current Palm Desert Library sits on the College of the Desert campus and is being leased through the school. Once the current lease expires, though, officials say that COD has other plans for the building, creating a need for the city to build its own space. 

Current plans have the building planned out at 20,198 square feet. The community building next to it will be around 5,720 square feet. The project is estimated to cost around $30 million, with $20 million coming from Capital Bonds, $6 million coming from city Measure G funds, and the final $4 million coming from the County of Riverside. 

The last major update in this project was back in November of 2025, when the Palm Desert City Council awarded the contract to build the library and community center to Tilden-Coil Constructors, Inc. 

The only expected disruption to library services is during the transfer phase, when the city moves over its equipment and supplies to the newly finished facility.