County Board Requests Bond Extension for Reston Regional Library Redevelopment

 

The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors is seeking to extend the timeline to rebuild Reston Regional Library as part of a longstanding redevelopment project.

The board authorized a request to the Circuit Court to extend by two years the authority to issue the library bonds for replacement of the Reston Regional Library. The request extends the bond from eight years to 10.

The Board moved forward with the request “due to a combination of Reston Association and Fairfax County development requirements” that has caused delays in the library replacement and larger Reston Town Center North redevelopment project, according to Hunter Mil District Supervisor Walter Alcorn.

The request was endorsed unanimously by the Board of Supervisors during its Sept. 29 meeting.

The board envisions redeveloping the property from a hodgepodge of parcels into a vibrant and urban a mixed-use project that helps transition Reston Town Center to the existing development. Planning is underway but no firm plans have yet been determined.

County voters originally approved the issuance of bonds in 2012 for a total of $25 million for Public Library Facilities. The bonds included renovations at Pohick Regional ($5 million), John Marshall Community ($5 million), Tysons Pimmit Regional ($5 million) and Reston Regional ($10 million) libraries.

According to the board’s agenda on Sept. 29, “all work has been completed and bond funds expended” for each library, except the Reston Regional Library.

The board’s approved proposal includes using the $10 million bond funds in conjunction with the larger redevelopment plan for Reston Town Center North, where the Reston Regional Library is located.

In addition to the library, the proposal calls for the replacement of the Embry Rucker Shelter, North County Human Services Center, and the creation of community and open space, as well as common infrastructure.

Alcorn said other factors might cause the overall project to be delayed, but that he doesn’t think the bond extension will.

“While there are any number of other issues that could affect the completion timeline, the $10 million of general obligation bond financing for the library is not one of them,” Alcorn wrote in a statement.

Fatimah Waseem contributed reporting to this story.