WILLIAMSBURG — The Williamsburg City Council heard an updated presentation on a new library and a discussion of recommendations by the Library Evaluation Committee at its Nov. 11 work session.
According to the agenda, conversations regarding an improved downtown Williamsburg headquarters and library for the Williamsburg Regional Library system began in earnest in 2007 with the completion of a space needs study. The discussion was renewed in 2018 with community surveys and focus groups. That effort continued through 2023 when the Williamsburg Regional Library Board of Trustees passed a resolution in support of constructing a new downtown library to meet the needs of the modern library system.
Recently, the city reviewed proposals for such a facility and formed the Library Evaluation Committee to complete that review and gather public input on design.
The proposed library space would come in at 40,000 square feet, with an additional 10,000 for a theater. Blueprints were presented to city council by Hourigan / Tymoff+Moss Architects to show the proposed layout. Currently, the project is estimated to cost $26.1 million with a start date in January and completion targeted for Summer 2027.
During the summer, two public meetings were held, as well as an online survey, to gather feedback regarding the proposed library. The presentation said those meetings had over 250 attendees and there were over 850 responses to the survey. The meetings featured stations to discuss topics such as the library program, site organization, architecture, national trends and parking.
Little changed about the site, building, or design as a result of the public input.
Regarding site organization, a preference was shown for keeping the existing library open during construction. Residents also preferred keeping mature trees when possible, as well as adding bus stops and traffic routes.
For the library exterior, a majority of attendees requested traditional, with a strong emphasis on material and brick patterning. The builders said, on average, the overall preference fell on the traditional side of modern.
Data for parking showed a preference for low visual impact — a standard lot as opposed to a parking garage. There was also a desire for library parking to be free, but monitored to ensure only library guests were using it.
The architects said a big topic of discussion in August centered around reducing the construction cost of the new Williamsburg Library from $26.1 million to $20 million. However, the builders said this could not be accomplished unless programs were cut from the project, adding that reducing the construction cost by $6.1 million might equate to a 25% to 30% decrease in the building’s area.
Several other options were discussed, including reducing the staff area, removing meeting spaces, removing the children’s library, and overall, reducing every area by about 25 to 30%. However, it was found none of those ideas held merit to achieve that goal, as options either result in insufficient savings or a building with reduced capability in comparison to the existing building.
They said the most promising idea was not to construct the auditorium, meeting rooms, and attendant spaces as part of this phase, but rather to build these areas in the future and allow the library to function fully. However, as the community’s primary desire is to keep existing programming, that option does not support the desire of the community.
“You all, as our elected city council, have a really consequential decision to make about an important question. That is, should we build a new library downtown? And I’ll go ahead and jump to my conclusion, yes I think we should,” said Chris Gareis on behalf of the Williamsburg Regional Library Board of Trustees.
Members of the community also spoke on the proposal during the public comment period.
“I thought we needed new fire and police facilities to protect life and limb. But today, we’re talking about another just as important aspect of the life of citizens of all ages, from the children attending the story times at the library all the way to the afternoon movie series that people like my 90-year-old mother enjoyed the last ten years of her life. The library project has been waiting and waiting, sometimes even being pushed back as it stood patiently in line, sometimes put aside for other projects. But we can’t ignore our needs for what enriches our lives,” said a citizen who spoke in favor of the new proposed library.
“The city has not publicly disclosed the total cost of the project, the cost of financing the project, the impact on our taxes, and not presented the pros and cons or really evaluated the alternative,” countered another. “The city has budgeted $40 million for the library, of which $20 million is to come from the city, because the other jurisdictions were supposed to contribute to the balance. They have now pulled out of that, so the full cost of the library is going to fall on the city and city residents. The contractor’s pre-design estimate of $26 million. It’ll certainly increase during the design and construction process, so typically we include 20% contingencies in the planning for these types of projects. There hasn’t been a major project the city has undertaken in recent years whose pre-design budget hasn’t grown significantly.”
The next city council meeting will be held at 2 p.m. at the Stryker Center on Nov. 13. For more information about the project, visit the official website.
