The Dunedin City Council will offer modern office space above South Dunedin’s new Library and Community Complex to commercial tenants.

Dunedin City Councillors met last month and decided to lease the upper level of the building, to help balance community needs and the financial sustainability of the new facility.

Staff will seek one or more commercial tenants to occupy the upstairs level of the new building once it opens next year.

The Council decision to focus on rent-paying tenants upstairs will help offset operating costs and ensure the new facility remains on a sustainable financial footing.

The project remains on schedule to open as planned in June 2025, and it is tracking on budget at $22 million.

Draft operational budgets, as reported to Council in August 2024, total approximately $2.8 million per annum, including both property and Library Services-related costs.

The library will still be a key hub catering for community groups and uses in a variety of ways, with four new meeting rooms available for community use on the ground floor, as well as the maker space, sound studio and other library spaces.

Two of the meeting rooms with kitchenettes will be available for community use after hours.

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