The Allen Public Library's decade-in-the-making expansion is officially done on paper.
The city's July 2026 building permit report shows the 71,494-square-foot library at 300 N. Allen Dr. received its Certificate of Occupancy on Wednesday, July 29, closing out the construction permit for a project valued at $16.66 million. The CO is the formal sign-off confirming the building meets all code requirements.
The library itself has been open to visitors since Dec. 8, 2025, when crowds lined up to explore the renovated and expanded space.
The July permit milestone marks the bureaucratic finish line for a project Allen voters set in motion with a $16 million bond in 2016. Additional city maintenance funds and a $219,000 McDermott Foundation grant brought the total project budget to roughly $19.9 million.
The library relocated temporarily to the former Rountree Elementary campus at 800 E. Main St. while crews added 18,000 square feet, including larger children's and teen areas, six reservable study rooms, a preschool playroom, and four self-checkout stations. An automated sorting system now manages the library's approximately 150,000-item collection.
The City of Allen announced on its Facebook page on Dec. 8, 2025, that the library had reopened to happy crowds and eager families, highlighting new features including dedicated teen collaboration rooms, rentable meeting spaces, and laptops for in-library use.
The 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, 2 to 6 p.m.
Two new restaurants cleared at Watters Creek and Village at Allen
Two new Allen restaurants cleared their final construction hurdle in July. The Melting Pot, a Florida-based fondue chain founded in 1975, received its CO on Wednesday, July 15, for a 5,211-square-foot space at 935 Watters Creek Blvd., Building N.
The buildout carried a $900,000 construction valuation. The chain operates more than 90 locations across North America, including six in Texas, and CultureMap Dallas reported the Allen location was planned for a summer 2026 opening.
Uncle Julio's, a Dallas-based Tex-Mex chain, received its CO on Monday, July 27, for an 8,000-square-foot space at 190 E. Stacy Rd., Suite 3400, in the Village at Allen.
That buildout was valued at $1 million. The restaurant is already listed as an active location on Uncle Julio's reservations page, joining other DFW locations in Fort Worth, Grapevine, and Arlington.
Neither restaurant has announced a public grand opening date. The COs confirm both spaces are legally cleared to operate.
What's next
The Allen Public Library website posted a notice about a system update scheduled for Tuesday, Aug. 4, affecting most services that morning with completion expected by noon. The library can be reached at 214-509-4900.
