The coming weekend will bring Valentine’s Day, President’s Day and, for Kingstowne residents, the closure of their longtime community library.
Fortunately, patrons won’t have to wait too long for a new place to check out books: after the existing Kingstowne Library closes this Sunday (Feb. 15), a regional branch that has been under construction since 2023 will open at 7130 Silver Lake Blvd early this spring.
“Updates on the grand opening of the new location will be shared on the library’s newsroom and on our social media platforms,” Fairfax County Public Library (FCPL) said in a press release.
To mark the final day of service at the current Kingstowne Community Library, which has been operating out of a leased space at 6500 Landsdowne Centre since June 24, 2000, FCPL will host a celebration on Saturday (Feb. 14) from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
The first hour of the event will include a Valentine’s Day storytime for preschool-aged children. Games, a photobooth, crafts, bookmaking, button-making, a prize wheel and other activities are also planned as part of the celebration.
Throughout this week, the library is inviting patrons to leave messages on butcher paper that staff have taped over services desks and pillars.
While FCPL has already suspended new hold requests at the Kingstowne branch, materials that were available before the Feb. 4 cut-off can still be picked up until 6 p.m. on Feb. 13. The library’s doors and book drop will officially close at that same time the following day.
Due dates for items checked out from Kingstowne Library have been extended to April 15 “as a courtesy,” though they can be returned to any Fairfax County branch, FCPL says.
Until the regional branch opens, the county library system is encouraging patrons to visit other locations, pointing to Lorton (9520 Richmond Highway), Martha Washington (6614 Fort Hunt Road) and Sherwood Regional (2501 Sherwood Hall Lane) near Hybla Valley as the closest options.
“Staff at any branch can assist customers with redirecting holds for pick up at nearby locations,” FCPL said. “Materials may be picked up at or returned to any FCPL branch. Digital library resources, including e-books, audiobooks, and online databases, remain available 24/7 to all cardholders via the library’s website.”
Funded with $34 million from a 2020 library bond referendum, the Kingstowne Regional Library will be part of a new campus near the Festival at Manchester Lakes shopping center, where it will be combined with the relocated Franconia Governmental Center and several other public services.
Totaling 90,000 square feet, the facility will also house a 28,000-square-foot Franconia Police Station, Franconia District Supervisor Rodney Lusk’s office, the Franconia Museum, a 7,200-square-foot active adult center and an approximately 10,000-square-foot child care center for infants to pre-kindergarten children.
The library will occupy approximately 30,000 square feet — doubling its current space. In addition to providing more seating, the new branch will have four group study rooms, a teen zone with a gaming station, and extended hours for its public meeting rooms.
The combined campus will replace facilities that were undersized and outdated, while giving residents access to a variety of services in one central location, Fairfax County has said of the multi-million-dollar project.
The site, which is just off Beulah Street and Manchester Blvd, will be served by two new parking garages — a 182-space public garage and a 172-space garage for the police station.
