In May 2021, Sno-Isle Libraries moved out of the city-owned library building in downtown Lake Stevens so the City could build North Cove Park. Five and a half years later, both sides of that trade are nearly done. On the downtown side, the park is getting a new shelter bathroom just before HarvestFest. On the other side, a two-story, 15,000-square-foot library is going up on 99th Avenue NE, just north of Market Place. That's in the Chapel Hill neighborhood, not on Main Street.
When the library opens, Lake Stevens will have its main civic gathering spot by the lake and its library in another neighborhood. The way that happened explains what you'll find at each one.
The Library Left Main Street First
According to The Everett Herald, the old Lake Stevens Library was built in 1985 and torn down as part of the city's downtown revitalization project. Service never stopped, though. From May through August 2021, Sno-Isle ran a pop-up library at Lundeen Park. In August 2021 it opened a temporary branch at 2211 Grade Road.
The temporary branch was supposed to be short-term. It's still open. The Grade Road space is 5,000 square feet, a third the size of the new building. Sno-Isle's branch page still lists Grade Road with October events, and the staffed hours there are Monday through Thursday, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., and Friday and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. It's closed Sundays. Until Sno-Isle announces a move date, that's still your library.
Why the New Building Isn't Downtown
Sno-Isle had owned the Chapel Hill land long before the old library came down. Its own project history traces the site back years before demolition:
- September 2016: Sno-Isle buys property at 99th Avenue NE and Market Place.
- February 2017 and February 2018: Lake Stevens Library Capital Facility Area bond elections are held.
- Fall 2020 to April 2021: Sno-Isle and the City of Lake Stevens explore a shared Chapel Hill Civic Center and release three concepts for a civic center campus.
- May 2021: The downtown library building is vacated for the North Cove Park project.
- Spring 2022: The City decides not to pursue the Civic Center Campus partnership and plans to sell off its parcels.
- August 2022: Sno-Isle hires the architecture firm BuildingWork to design a library on its Chapel Hill property.
For about 18 months, the plan was a shared campus with city facilities and the library on one site. When the City stepped back, Sno-Isle kept going alone on land it already owned. The building now standing on 99th Avenue NE is the library half of a plan that was once meant to bring both together.
Construction moved steadily from there. The groundbreaking was on September 18, 2024, with State Sen. John Lovick there; Sno-Isle credits him with securing much of the funding. Faber Construction was the lowest responsive bidder, and work started in January 2025. By February 2026, the structural work was done.
What Three Times the Books Looks Like
The size jump is what you'll notice first. Sno-Isle Executive Director Eric Howard told the Herald the new collection will hold 23,000 books, more than three times what the current library has.
The two floors have different jobs. Most of the ground floor is an interactive children's area designed around early-learning principles, and there's a flexible public meeting room next to it. Most of the collection is upstairs, along with several study rooms and a teen section. That layout goes back to Sno-Isle's 2021 community outreach. People asked for a building that could serve a growing number of young families, with a dedicated early-learning area, meeting space and public outdoor space.
Chy Ross, Sno-Isle's assistant director of capital strategy and planning, walked the Herald through the building in May:
"The main amount of this floor is dedicated to that children's area. So again, highly interactive, exciting early learning principle-based space. Our meeting room here on the side that we're on is going to have a sliding glass wall."
That glass wall was installed this summer. Sno-Isle's August progress update said the first-floor glass walls were up, including folding glass doors for the meeting room, and that drywall was going in throughout. Ross also told the Herald the ceiling is cross-laminated timber, a structural mass-timber product "that comes from our local forestry industry."
The Part Behind the Building
The library also takes its outdoor space seriously, and part of the reason is the property next door. There's a wetland on the neighboring property, and Sno-Isle is doing a full restoration of the wetland buffer with native plants. According to Ross, that buffer will include learning trails with informational signs, reading spots and a semi-enclosed gathering space. He told the Herald he expects staff to come up with activities and classes there, "and maybe some outdoor story times."
As of Sno-Isle's August update, the exterior siding was nearly finished, crews were grading the site, the outline of the learning trails was visible, and the soil was being prepared for planting. Full landscaping work was expected to start soon.
Who Paid for It, and When It Opens
Sno-Isle's project page lists $3.85 million in grant funding:
| Source | Amount |
|---|---|
| WA State Early Learning Library, Library Capital Improvement Grant | $2,000,000 |
| WA State Local Community Project Funding | $1,100,000 |
| WA State Local Community Project Grant #4 | $350,000 |
| WA State Community Project Funds | $150,000 |
| Federal Community Project Funding | $250,000 |
The Herald reported that U.S. Rep. Suzan DelBene helped secure the $250,000 federal grant in May to finish construction. Sno-Isle is using capital campaigns and levy funds to meet the state grants' matching requirements.
As for the opening date, Sno-Isle hasn't announced one. Its August update said construction should be finished later this year. After that, staff will install furniture and technology, stock the shelves, test the building systems and get the library ready for the public. Ross put it simply in May: "We don't have a date yet, but we look forward to welcoming the community." Sno-Isle's project page is where updates will show up first.
Meanwhile, on the Lot the Library Left
North Cove Park, the downtown side of the 2021 trade, is getting some work of its own this month. To build a new shelter bathroom, the City closed the North Cove Park picnic shelter and restrooms from October 5 through October 30, 2026, and put a portable restroom in the parking lot next to the playground. The closure ends Friday, the day before the park's biggest fall event.
| Date | Event | Where | Details |
|---|---|---|---|
| Saturday, Oct. 31, 4 to 7 p.m. | HarvestFest | North Cove Park | Free, family-friendly City event on Halloween |
| Saturday, Dec. 12, 4 to 7 p.m. | WinterFest | North Cove Park | Free holiday celebration for all ages |
HarvestFest is a City of Lake Stevens Parks and Recreation event. It's separate from the Harvest Market the Greater Lake Stevens Chamber of Commerce held on October 10. The City's HarvestFest announcement links to the event page, and the Parks Department takes questions at 425-622-9406 or [email protected].
So on Halloween afternoon, the downtown celebration will be in the park the 1985 library made way for. The library itself is still on Grade Road, getting ready for its move to the new building on 99th Avenue NE.
If you own a home in or near Chapel Hill, a new library going up nearby is worth factoring in when you think about selling. Here at The WC Group, we keep an eye on projects like this one block by block. If you want to know how your home compares right now, ask for a free home valuation and we'll go through it with you.
