North Sunnyvale's Lakechime Block Gets Its Library on Halloween, and Its Park Is Only Halfway There

On Saturday, Oct. 31, the Lakewood Branch Library and Learning Center opens at 760 Lakechime Drive, on ground that held the Lakewood Park pool for about four decades. Right next door, most of Lakewood Park is closed for a renovation the City expects to finish in mid-2027. So the opening is the midpoint, and the Lakechime block will keep changing for another year or so.

The grand opening runs 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. It's free, and you don't need to register. Below is how the block got here, what's inside the building, and what's open or still closed at the park.

From a closed pool to a library

The library sits on land owned by the Sunnyvale School District, and it started as a way to fill the hole the pool left behind. The Mercury News reported in 2024 that the pool opened in the 1970s and was known for affordable swim lessons and summer activities. The City closed it in 2012, citing low use and the cost of updating, running and maintaining it. After that, the City and the school district talked about other ways to serve Lakewood, and one idea was a branch library.

Here's the timeline:

1. 2012: The Lakewood Park pool closes.
2. Early 2017: The City Council tells staff to explore a joint project with the Sunnyvale School District, including a feasibility study.
3. January 2020: The Council approves a joint-use agreement with the Sunnyvale School District and Fremont Union High School District for a one-story building of about 20,000 square feet.
4. May 2024: The Council awards Bobo Construction a $23,178,824.25 contract. With the 10% contingency, the total is $25,496,706.25. The plan at that point was to open in late 2025.
5. Aug. 29, 2026: The first grand opening date, later marked postponed.
6. Aug. 13, 2026: The City postpones that celebration because "the final stages of construction are taking a little longer than anticipated."
7. Oct. 31, 2026: The new grand opening date.

Both the Mercury News and San José Spotlight noted in 2024 that it had taken about ten years since the site was selected to get the project off the ground, with construction scheduled to begin that summer. San José Spotlight reported that the delay came partly from getting the City, two school districts and other groups to coordinate. Funding came from the City's Infrastructure Fund, the Friends of the Sunnyvale Library and both school districts. The project also got a $481,000 decarbonization grant from Silicon Valley Clean Energy.

The distance it closes

Until now, Sunnyvale has had one library, the main branch on Olive Avenue. The library's locations page still lists Lakewood as "Future." According to the City's project page, many north Sunnyvale residents live two to four miles from any library. Lakewood has the lowest share of residents holding a Sunnyvale library card of any neighborhood in the city.

Even with that distance, demand has been growing. In 2024, Superintendent of Libraries Garrett Kuramoto told San José Spotlight that the number of North Sunnyvale residents with a library card had more than tripled since 2020. Card numbers tripled while the nearest branch was still miles away, and that's the case the City made for building this one. He described the building's purpose to the Mercury News this way:

"We really see this as a hub of community engagement, and place where people can gather."

Kuramoto said about half the square footage would be a traditional library. The other half is community space, and some of it can be set up for different uses.

What opens on Oct. 31

The library calendar promises live music, a Maker Lab showcase, crafts and giveaways. Families are encouraged to wear Halloween costumes, and kids in costume can stop by for a treat. The building is single-story and all-electric. It has study rooms, separate spaces for children and teens, and programs for all ages. The City's 2024 council report also lists a community room, program rooms for the partner schools and a small kitchen.

The Maker Lab will probably draw the most visitors. It's stocked with:

• A 3D printer
• A laser cutter
• Sewing machines
• A large-format printer
• Vinyl cutters
• Jewelry-making supplies
• Arts-and-crafts materials

Spotlight's 2024 report said that along with standard programs like children's story time, the branch plans programs on language learning, cultural events and making things. The library hadn't posted regular weekly hours for Lakewood as of early October. For reference, the Olive Avenue main library is open Monday through Thursday 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., Friday and Saturday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Sunday 1 to 6 p.m. Check the library's site for Lakewood's hours once the doors open.

Next door, half a park

Lakewood Park is a 10.7-acre, outer-space-themed park at 834 Lakechime Drive. In March 2026, the City awarded Suarez & Munoz Construction a $13,607,856.60 contract to renovate it. The first finished piece, the all-inclusive playground and tot lot, opened July 29. Part of it was paid for by a grant from the County of Santa Clara's All-Inclusive Playground Grant Program.

The rest of the park is closed during construction. Here's what's open now and what's still coming:

The greenbelt ties the two projects together. It stays open the whole time, and the plan adds lighting along it. Some features will fill in over the coming year. The dog parks are the big gap for anyone walking a dog nearby, and the water play area, skate park and restroom building are still on the list. Until then, a visit to the block means the new library, the new playground and the paths and courts that never closed.

Two more October dates nearby

For a busier weekend in north Sunnyvale, the City, Our City Forest, AmeriCorps California and California Volunteers are holding a community tree planting on Saturday, Oct. 24, 9 a.m. to noon, at 540 N. Fair Oaks Ave. Volunteers will plant 20 trees at Fair Oaks Park and on nearby streets. The Oct. 17 planting is already full, so Oct. 24 is the one still open. A week earlier, the 41st annual Hands on the Arts Festival takes over Sunnyvale Community Center, 550 E. Remington Drive, on Saturday, Oct. 17, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., with art workshops, roaming performers and food trucks.

Then comes Halloween, when the Lakechime block hands out treats from a building that took about a decade of planning and a two-month delay to finish.

If you live near Lakechime and want to talk through how the new library and the park work through 2027 could change your block, Jen Marley follows north Sunnyvale projects like this as they happen and is glad to share what she knows. Let's Connect.