Arlington leaders say they haven’t forgotten they owe the Crystal City area a library.
“It’s on our to-do list,” County Manager Mark Schwartz said at the County Board’s Feb. 22 meeting.
The comment came after Rachel Hicks, president of the Aurora Highlands Civic Association, pressed Board members on when the National Landing area would get additional community infrastructure to support spiraling population counts.
She pointed to a lack of school space and community facilities, singling out the abandoned proposal to incorporate a library in an office building in the 1900 block of S. Bell Street.
Property owner JBG Smith had agreed to provide space, parking and subsidies for a 7,200-square-foot library space as part of a deal to redevelop the nearby Crystal Plaza One site, replacing office towers with residential buildings.
The developer had already made two payments totaling $500,000 in support of the library when county officials backed out of the deal last summer.
County leaders cited “site, operating and capital-budget constraints” in their decision to instead take a $5.8 million contribution from JBG Smith as part of the development deal.
At the Feb. 22 Board meeting, Schwartz said county staff is on the hunt for available space in the Crystal City area.
“We’re looking for the next best opportunity,” he said, suggesting it could come about through a future development project.
“We haven’t forgotten,” Board member Maureen Coffey said.
Board Chair Takis Karantonis said discussion of the library is ongoing, and studies are underway about education facilities corridor. He anticipated “a more constructive discussion around these things” moving forward.
The Arlington library system includes Central Library in the Virginia Square area plus seven branches across the county.
