(Updated at 3:40 p.m.) A groundbreaking was held this morning for the new Arlington Mill Community Center.
County Board members Walter Tejada and Chris Zimmerman, County Manager Barbara Donnellan and Columbia Pike Revitalization Organization Executive Director Takis Karantonis were among the officials in attendance, along with construction company representatives and county employees.
Construction on the new, five-story community center is expected to start shortly and wrap up in the summer of 2013. The center will include a full-size gym and fitness center, a senior center, teen center and game room, visual arts studio, a job resource center, a community learning center, several multi-purpose rooms for community events, retail space and a public plaza at the intersection of Columbia Pike and S. Dinwiddie Street. The cost of the bond-financed project is estimated at up to $25 million.
“In these challenging economic times, it is more important than ever that we invest and plan for the future of our community and provide opportunities and services for those who need it most,” Donnellan said. “The new center will benefit all who live here by serving as an anchor for the community. It will not only provide essential services for our residents, but it will also draw future development and amenities to the area.”
Separately, a 122-unit affordable housing complex is being built adjacent to the community center. Work on that project is expected to stretch through the end of 2013.
Photos courtesy Arlington County
Related Posts
- Progress at Site of Arlington Mill Community Center January 27, 2012
- Arlington Mill Demolition Underway March 8, 2011
- Arlington Mill Demolition Set for January December 9, 2010
- Meanwhile, at the Aurora Hills Community Center June 8, 2010
groundbreaking. good one.
I think Justin Trawick will be giving guitar lessons once open
Groundbreaking – Arlington County will be forced to patrol area to clean up litter, vagrants, squatters, illegal dumping, loitering, and public consumption of alcoholic beverages.
About time.
Thankfully they are building a gym there – we wouldn’t want the people to actually have to walk 2000 feet to go to the relatively new Barcroft gym. . .
What new Barcroft gym???
AT LAST!!!
I can’t find the intersection of Columbia Pike and S. Dinwiddie Street on Google Maps. They don’t seem to intersect.
Can somebody actually get an street address?
If you type Columbia Pike and S. Columbus St. it bascially @ that intersection. South Dinwiddie street is accross from S. Columbus st. @ CP
Look for S Columbus. It is on the other side of Columbia Pike.
okay, got it, thanks.
inconsistant road structure.
That’s Arlington!
2 new gyms just opened on the Pike — both charging only $20/month. why is the county using taxpayer $$ to compete with private companies? Seems very wasteful.
.
Like I said on another thread earlier, keep the plunger handy.
A) That’s not the point of a community center.
B) What the private sector does shouldn’t necessarily impact what amenities the county chooses to offer its residents.
C) The county’s gym membership is still cheaper and offers access to all their facilities.
D) The county’s plans for this community center have been around awhile – you might argue that the new gyms on the Pike are choosing to compete with the county, not the other way around.
Josh, do you see any activities that the government should not be involved in? Arlington County Wine Bar and Tapas or Arlington County Draft Cinema perhaps?
122-unit affordable housing complex = more Police.
I’ve found myself wondering about the wisdom of the big AHC adjacent to a Community Center. It could be synergistic – or – it could discourage use of the center and thereby limit its utility. Not sure, but it should be an interesting experiment in urban design.
That’s right. More police and teachers and nurses and others who might otherwise not be able to afford to live in Arlington.
Yes, that seems to be the intended outcome. I hope that’s how it turns out. There are, however, other potential outcomes.
… and those who work at the bars and restaurants pooping up along the Pike.
popping
Now that is what I call a Freudian slip…..
Both versions seem to work!