Fairfax County is exploring the possibility of building a new Centreville Regional Library, combined in one building with affordable housing.
“The project could be built through a partnership with a private developer, and it may include new homes and an updated library in one building, featuring amenities for residents and the greater Centreville community,” Allyson Pearce, marketing and outreach manager for the county’s Department of Housing and Community Development, told FFXnow.
The current library, which opened in 1991, has experienced flooding in staff areas, recurring issues with the HVAC system and “a myriad of other facility related repairs/incidents,” according to the county’s advertised capital improvement program for fiscal years 2027-2031. It also has inadequate electrical wiring for customers to charge their laptops and other devices.
Redevelopment would likely cost $37 million, which could possibly be paid for through Economic Development Authority bond financing in fiscal year 2029, the plan notes. The proposed CIP was supported by the county’s planning commission and approved by the Board of Supervisors as part of the FY 2027 budget process.
The library project is just one aspect of a much more extensive potential overhaul of the area around the Routes 28 and 29 interchange to create more mixed-use, walkable spaces.
A proposed amendment to the county’s comprehensive plan that will allow more residential development in the area, while pulling back on planned office and industrial uses will face a public hearing before the county’s planning commission tomorrow (Wednesday) at 7 p.m.
Around 60 people already attended a community meeting at Centreville United Methodist Church on April 30 to discuss the library project, ask questions and share their priorities for the future of the site, Pearce said.
“This feedback will help inform building design, streetscape improvements, public spaces, and future library/community spaces,” she said.
Future updates about the project and opportunities for feedback will be posted to the Engage Fairfax County website.
Pearce said the next steps will be for the Fairfax County Redevelopment and Housing Authority (FCRHA) to “work with partners including the Fairfax County Department of Planning and Development, and the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors, to evaluate the site, measure its potential, understand development impacts, and explore financing options.”
Fairfax County is not the only locality to explore the possibility of combining housing with a public facility.
In D.C., 177 units of mixed-income housing will be built on the Chevy Chase library, the Washington Post reported earlier this year. Though the Chevy Chase project proved controversial, the Post wrote that the idea is part of a larger trend nationwide:
“Housing has been combined with library renovations in cities around the country and the world as high costs of living have forced government to seek out new strategies to add homes. Nearly two dozen library-housing projects have been completed in the United States and Canada this century, according to the Urban Institute — including one in D.C.’s West End neighborhood.”
Fairfax County leaders recently approved a project that will relocate the Penn Daw fire station to a new site with supportive housing and a new emergency shelter to replace the Eleanor U. Kennedy Shelter.
