After years of planning, the start of construction on a new library for the Town of Vienna is almost within sight.
Staff at Patrick Henry Library have started preparing to relocate to a temporary site in the Cedar Park Shopping Center, where some services will be offered while the new facility is being built, Fairfax County Public Library (FCPL) announced in an alert to patrons on Friday (Jan. 31).
“You may notice that staff have begun to move items in the collection and shelves are being cleared to prepare for moving and storage,” FCPL said. “Public meeting room reservations at the current location will be unavailable for booking starting in April.”
Flyers notifying visitors that the meeting room won’t be available after March 31 have been posted around the library.
According to FCPL, the temporary library is expected to open in the former El Sabor Grill space at 262C Cedar Lane SE in late spring or early summer. Intended as a “quick service” option, the 2,800-square-foot site will offer:
- A small browsing selection
- Ability to pick up holds or return books
- Public Wi-Fi
- Chromebooks for onsite use
- Light programming such as storytimes
The Fairfax County Department of Public Works and Environmental Services, which is overseeing the project, is currently in the process of soliciting and selecting a construction contractor.
“The message by FCPL aligns with our schedule anticipating the construction of the Vienna Carter Library to commence in early Summer 2025,” DPWES spokesperson Sharon North told FFXnow by email.
Approved by the Vienna Town Council on Oct. 28, 2024, the renamed Vienna-Carter Library will be an approximately 19,000-square-foot, one-story facility designed to better meet the “current and future programmatic and operational needs of the library users and staff,” according to the DPWES project page.
Replacing a building at 101 Maple Avenue East that originally opened in 1971 and is now one of FCPL’s busiest community branches, the new building will feature an outdoor reading and gathering space and a flexible community space that will be available during and after the facility’s operational hours.
The project will also bring a four-level parking garage with 209 spaces, including 84 spots that the Town of Vienna secured for general public parking.
According to the county, other benefits will include energy sustainability and efficiency upgrades, such as rooftop solar panels on the garage, a geothermal heating and cooling system, and skylights for the main library building.
