HENRICO, Va. (WTVR)–Today plans were announced for a big upgrade to the Dumbarton Library, sure to please bibliophiles and casual readers alike.
In fact, it’s not really an upgrade. The 1976 facility, formerly an elementary school, on Staples Mill Road will close and a new library will be built on a huge parcel of land, closer to Broad Street, about 1.5 miles from where it is located now.
The current library is 22,500 square feet, and the new one will be somewhere around 50,000 to 60,000 square feet. It will also be part of a 3.3 acre mixed-use development that will include residences, retail and a lake.
Construction is expected to begin in spring 2014, with an opening slated for fall 2016.
“This agreement represents an exciting collaboration between the public and private sectors,” said Richard W. Glover, chairman of the Board of Supervisors and supervisor for the Brookland District.
Under the agreement, Henrico will receive the 3.3-acre library site at no cost. The county will contribute $250,000 toward the construction of a lake plaza and other pedestrian features and will make a one-time payment of $150,000 in lieu of annual fees to a property owners association.
Gumenick Properties, who will handle construction, estimates all costs will total up to about $434 million. The library itself is expected to cost about $30.5 million.
Initially, only the building’s first and second floors will be finished. The facility will have 236 surface parking spaces.
