County Board members have directed staff to move more quickly in considering future uses of the Central Library and Lee Community Center parcels.
In a change from the plan as proposed by County Manager Mark Schwartz, Board members said on Tuesday that staff should hire a consultant in fiscal year 2029 to develop a plan for potential uses of the Central Library site in Virginia Square. That timeline will allow planning to advance on roughly the same timetable as consideration of future uses at the adjacent Quincy Park.
“If you don’t set some scoping timelines, you’re not going to get there,” County Board Chair Matt de Ferranti said during deliberations leading up to 5-0 adoption of the county’s 10-year, $4.3 billion capital improvement plan (CIP).
Running the planning processes concurrently had been a goal of Board member Susan Cunningham, who said there were benefits to joint planning even if actual redevelopment of the sites takes place at different times.
“It is likely they will be phased in different phases … but it is important to have done the planning together,” she said.
De Ferranti agreed. “We need to align these planning processes,” he said.
Board members did not allocate any funding for planning Central Library’s future, leaving that to the next CIP effort in two years.
They also held off on deciding what to do with the library site. Options could include the addition of housing or “third space” options — an arts center, community center or something similar — along with a modernized library.
Board members also directed staff to prepare a process to determine uses for the currently unoccupied Lee Community Center on Langston Blvd. Under the directive, staff would begin the scoping process by the end of 2028, with community engagement taking place in 2029.
“These firm dates … are very important,” de Ferranti said.
While a win for advocates concerned about leaving the century-old building vacant indefinitely, the action did not move funding for construction work to earlier in the 10-year CIP timeline. Schwartz’s proposal called for a renovation project to be funded in the mid-2030s, despite calls for allocating several million dollars sooner in order to stabilize the building.
Board member Julius “JD” Spain, Sr., said that the planning process should be driven by residents’ desires.
“The future of Lee Center, where we end up going, should be shaped with the community, not for the community,” he said.
The fiscal year 2027-36 CIP plan was a first for Spain, who was elected in November 2024.
“It’s not just a ride — it’s an adventure,” he said of the months of discussion leading up to the July 21 vote.
Others on the Board said the new package represents fiscal realities of a downsized federal government, lower tax revenue from commercial properties and a shaky regional economy.
“We really focused on maintaining what we have” rather than new construction, de Ferranti said, expressing hope that the economic situation might turn around when the next round of CIP planning takes place.
“I am quite eager for a different day, when we can invest in our future,” he said.
That is a discussion for later. For now, “I’m relieved to be at the end of this process,” Board member Maureen Coffey said.
In total, the package approved by Board members was $23 million more than what Schwartz submitted. As part of the adoption, Board members ratified a bond package totaling $184.26 million for the Nov. 3 ballot:
- Metro/transportation: $69,745,000
- Parks/recreation: $34,945,000
- Community infrastructure: $58,825,000
- Utilities: $20,745,000
The package was submitted to Circuit Court Chief Judge Judith Wheat, who has final say on placing them on the ballot.
Arlington voters have not turned down a local bond referendum in 45 years, and there has not been widespread rejection of a bond package in more than half a century.
