The McLean Project for the Arts (MPA) could potentially get a financial assist from Fairfax County for its campaign to turn a long-vacant retail space into a new arts center.
The Board of Supervisors directed staff on Tuesday (June 25) to evaluate whether the MPA Downtown project might be eligible for a public investment from the county’s Economic Opportunity Reserve (EOR), which can be used to support “economic development activities of strategic importance,” along with capital development projects and real estate purchases.
Dranesville District Supervisor Jimmy Bierman, who requested the review, stressed that his board matter was just “an ask for information,” not a commitment to any decision.
“It’s an ask for the county executive to look into this project and prepare an evaluation for us to look at,” he said before the unanimous vote. “…I’ll just say I really do think this is an economic opportunity in the center of McLean to do something that’s really going to help the community, so that’s why I would love for us to give it a look.”
Housed in the McLean Community Center at 1234 Ingleside Avenue, MPA launched a capital campaign last November to raise funds for a new arts and education center that would take over retail space on the ground floor of The Signet (6910 Fleetwood Road).
The Signet, a seven-story condominium building in downtown McLean, has filled all 123 residential units, but its 5,000 square feet of retail space has remained empty since it was delivered in 2018, according to Bierman’s board matter.
“A vacant storefront in the heart of downtown McLean hinders the revitalization efforts underway,” Bierman said, noting that the space is next to a park that’s “often vacant” and near Mars’ headquarters and the planned, 130-unit Astoria of McLean residential development.
In the works since 2019, MPA’s proposed arts center will have two galleries that will host five to 10 exhibits a year, a cafe with an outdoor terrace, an education space with a ceramics studio, staff offices, and a small retail store selling gifts and art supplies.
The nonprofit hopes to create a “vibrant gathering place” that supports events, including at the Signet’s park, and complements its existing offerings at the MCC, Executive Director Lori Carbonneau told FFXnow.
“We are deeply appreciative of Supervisor Bierman’s interest in this initiative and his vision for a vibrant community with sustainable growth,” Carbonneau said. “We look forward to working with Fairfax County staff to explore the funding possibilities through Fairfax County’s Economic Opportunity Reserve.”
MPA signed a contract for the space last fall and hopes to close in the third quarter of this year, which would be sometime in July through September. Its fundraising campaign has raised almost $2 million, but it remains short of its goal, with the project expected to cost $6 million for the site purchase and build-out.
Bierman sees the arts center as a potential activity hub that could draw visitors and additional investment to downtown McLean.
“While the MPA Arts & Education Center will be a valuable cultural amenity in downtown McLean, it is my belief that it has the potential to also serve as an economic development catalyst in downtown McLean, attracting new businesses and revitalization efforts to the area,” he told the board.
Established in 2015, the county’s Economic Opportunity Reserve was expanded in 2020 to also allow investments in projects intended to address the economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. Previous recipients have included the Tysons Partnership, which received a $1 million grant to establish an anchor organization now known as the Tysons Community Alliance.
Per the board’s direction, county staff will prepare an initial project evaluation for the Board of Supervisors to review at a future economic initiatives committee meeting.
Braddock District Supervisor James Walkinshaw suggested that the evaluation should consider MPA’s ability to cover the arts center’s operating costs long term.
“If we’re in for $2 million, we want to make sure they can run it,” Walkinshaw said. “Setting it up is one thing, but running it longer term is a more significant cost.”
Board Chairman Jeff McKay confirmed that staff will take that into account when making its recommendation, and Bierman accepted the suggestion as a “friendly amendment.”
“Absolutely we want to look at that and look at the ongoing opportunities for the success of this space,” Bierman said.
