Local
Essex library plan adds $2.5 million, but voters would decide on remaining funds
Federal and state lawmakers pledged $2.5 million toward a new 35,769-square-foot Baltimore County library in Essex. A separate ballot question would provide $58.7 million needed to fully fund the project if voters approve it.
ESSEX, Md. — A proposed new library in Essex received a $2.5 million funding commitment Thursday, while a much larger share of the project’s financing remains subject to a vote by Baltimore County residents.
U.S. Sen. Chris Van Hollen secured $2 million for the planned Baltimore County Public Library branch. State Sen. Johnny Ray Salling and Del. Richard Metzgar committed another $500,000 through a state legislative bond initiative, officials announced at a gathering of local, state and federal leaders.
The 35,769-square-foot branch is planned for a 4.61-acre site at 1517 Old Eastern Avenue. It would replace the existing Essex Branch, a 20,000-square-foot facility in the Middlesex Shopping Center that opened in 1969.
The proposal includes spaces for children, teens and adults, as well as an auditorium, food pantry, technology areas and outdoor programming space. Plans also call for meeting and conference rooms and a business and employment center.
Library Board of Trustees President Javaka Ganguly said the design would offer services and dedicated areas for families, young children and teens, alongside technology and employment resources.
The project’s future also depends on Question N, a measure on Baltimore County’s general election ballot. If approved, it would provide an additional $58.7 million to fully fund the project.
The current Essex Branch serves nearly 70,000 people in eastern Baltimore County. More than 122,000 people visited during fiscal year 2026, according to the library system—an indication of the demand the proposed replacement would serve.