The long awaited Horizon West Library Branch is one step closer after the Orange County Library System officially approved the lease for the new location. The Horizon West Library will be located at the Horizon West Regional Park, just north of Hamlin.

The future of a library branch in Horizon West was up in the air, as residents from Lake Nona petitioned the library to open a branch closer to them. Due to budget constraints, the library could only open one new location at a time. To solve the problem. the library partnered with both Orange County and City of Orlando to lease different elements of each library to reduce costs, allowing them both to proceed at once.

In Horizon West, the library was approved for a ground lease with Orange County that allows the library to design and construct a branch at Horizon West Regional Park. The new branch will be a 20,000 square-foot building and include an outdoor pavilion. Parking and additional outdoor space will be shared with the park which will be operated by the county.

In Lake Nona, the City of Orlando will design and construct the Lake Nona Branch incorporated into their new Southeast Government Center, which will also include outdoor space and a stage. Once constructed, the City of Orlando will lease the space to the library.

“Now that these leases have been approved, we have a clear path forward in both Lake Nona and Horizon West,” said Library Board of Trustees President Crockett Bohannon. “I want to thank the City of Orlando and Orange County for working with us to make it possible to begin work on both branches at the same time. This has been a long road and a lot of hard work, but I’m proud of what we have been able to accomplish. I’m happy to tell the people living in Lake Nona and Horizon West that they have libraries on the way.”

More information is available at OCLS.info.