The city of Roanoke is moving forward with plans to acquire land for a new "superbranch" library to be built in the city's northwest quadrant.

In recent months the city council has held a number of closed meetings to discuss land acquisition along Peters Creek Road for a new library branch. Recently the council gave city officials the go-ahead for acquisition of a site near the intersection of Cove Road and Peters Creek Road.

"It was for sale and seemed to be a good deal," Councilman Rupert Cutler said.

City officials would not specify the exact site the city is negotiating to buy.

There is an 11-acre parcel of vacant land near the intersection of Cove and Peters Creek listed for sale by the Poe & Cronk Real Estate Group.

Assistant City Manager Brian Townsend declined to talk about details but said the city's comprehensive plan calls for construction of a new "superbranch" that will serve a larger geographic area, particularly in the underserved northwest part of Roanoke.

"The master plan calls for up to two full-service branches, in addition to the branches we already have," Townsend said. "The reason we're looking in the north and west side of town first is because our branch system is weakest on that side of town. The only one is on Melrose [Avenue] ... and it's a very small branch."

The plan suggests a full-service library such as the one envisioned for Peters Creek Road would be as large as 28,000 to 30,000 square feet and would include a strong collection, bibliographic assistance, electronic collection access, computer training and meeting and study spaces.

Vice Mayor Sherman Lea said a new library "would be a solid investment in the quality of life for that area."

"It will give the citizens and more importantly the students and youth in that area an opportunity to go and utilize the library," Lea said. "That's a real important investment for our future and the future of that side of our city."

City officials are looking at Peters Creek Road Northwest for the new branch because it's a major transportation corridor and offers good visibility and easy access, Townsend said.

Construction of a new library would likely require the city to issue bonds to cover the cost. Roanoke's five-year capital improvements plan, which was approved by the council in July, does include $10.4 million for the "library master plan" in fiscal 2012, along with $2.8 million for the same purpose the next year.

A previous council had set aside about $5.5 million for libraries, from money that had been initially earmarked for renovation of Victory Stadium. Those funds have gone to pay for new library kiosks at the Garden City Recreation Center and Valley View Mall and to renovate branch libraries in Gainsboro and Jackson Park, Townsend said.

The fate of the city's main library branch downtown on Jefferson Street is also still in question.

"Whether it'll be renovated or razed is still up in the air," Cutler said. "I think the building is still good."

However, Cutler said that library users have complained about parking at the library, and staff have complained about the building's layout. Layout worries are particularly a concern with the Virginia Room, where local historical documents are stored.

Cutler said there's also been a proposal to move the Raleigh Court Branch from its current location near Patrick Henry High School down the street to Grandin Village.