Tomorrow (Friday) will be Reston residents’ last chance to visit their local library before it closes for the remainder of the summer.
Fairfax County Public Library announced this spring that the Reston Regional Library would close for approximately 10 weeks, starting Saturday, June 29, for renovations. Operating hours on Fridays are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., so any materials on hold should be picked up before then or redirected to another branch.
Construction won’t start until Monday, July 1, but the library staff will use the weekend “to wrap things up,” FCPL Director Jessica Hudson said in a video about the project.
“This is a beautiful facility, but it’s showing its age a little bit, so we’re closing up shop for about 10 weeks to ensure this building is clean and safe and usable for many years to come,” Hudson said.
Built in 1985, the Reston Regional Library is one of FCPL’s busiest branches, boasting a collection of approximately 145,000 items and circulating over 500,000 items a year, according to its website. It got 19,968 visitors in May, putting it just behind the Fairfax City and Pohick libraries.
Facility upgrades will include full refurbishments of the main public restrooms to bring them into ADA compliance, a renovation of the community rooms, a new drinking fountain with the addition of a bottle-filling station, deep cleanings for both public and staff spaces, and carpet, paint and lighting updates.
FCPL has estimated that the renovations will extend the building’s life by seven to 10 years, though planning is underway for a full replacement as part of the Reston Town Center North redevelopment.
A library bond referendum approved by voters in 2012 included $10 million for a new Reston library. However, all but $3.5 million of that allocation has since been “redirected to support other library project shortfalls,” so the project is now expected to be covered by Economic Development Authority bond sales, according to the county’s fiscal year 2025-2029 Capital Improvement Program (CIP).
“A total of approximately $58 million is proposed for a replacement Reston Library, community space, and common infrastructure at RTCN,” the CIP says.
The redevelopment will also include housing, a recreation center and athletic field, a new Embry Rucker that’s currently in an initial design phase, and a 3.5-acre central green. A community survey to gather ideas for the central green launched on June 18 and remains open through July 10.
During the Reston library’s closure, community members can visit any of FCPL’s other branches. The closest ones are the Herndon Fortnightly (768 Center Street) and Great Falls (9830 Georgetown Pike) libraries.
