NEWS: Builder Selected for New $39M Williamsburg Library
City plans to borrow 49% of construction costs, expects local partners and private donors to cover rest
At its meeting earlier today, the Williamsburg City Council approved a preliminary agreement for the design and construction of a new Williamsburg Regional Library. The final costs of the project remain unknown and will likely become clearer during the design process, yet the City currently plans to borrow $19.5M for the library’s construction. The City is requesting another $15M from regional partners — split between James City County and York County — as well as expecting $5M in private donations.
The planned site for the new library is somewhere on the block where the current library, the police station and the Stryker Center are located. City documents indicate that a library renovation or new construction has been under consideration since 2019 and that the Council allocated $450K in the fiscal year 2023 budget for preliminary planning. The 2024 budget designated the library as a strategic priority.
Though public feedback about the library’s design has not yet been gathered, Council Members assured that the opinions of residents and library users will be a part of future design efforts. “One of the most important factors is going to be the community input, which everyone will have that opportunity,” Vice Mayor Pat Dent commented. “What we really want is the community to be excited about a new library,” he added. Dent continued that his hope is that many residents will participate in upcoming community forums about the new library to voice their thoughts about design and features.
The city solicited bids for the new 50,000 square foot library back in May and June of 2024. Ultimately three companies submitted proposals to design and build the library near the current library and police station, which will soon be replaced by a new $20M facility. According to City documents, the review of bids was conducted by a committee which included City and library staff, plus members of Friends of the Williamsburg Library. Their recommendation was to select a contractor named Hourigan, which has offices in Virginia Beach, Richmond and Charlottesville. According to the company’s website, they have recently worked on several library projects in Norfolk.
The 2025 budget outlined potential funding sources for the library's construction, though contributions from regional partners have not been finalized. Recently, members of the York County Board of Supervisors discussed the issue and several Board Members questioned the desirability of investing in a new library in Williamsburg versus building one of their own somewhere in the County. Williamsburg planning documents state that funding negotiations will ultimately decide the size and cost of the new library.
According to the City, the current library was built in 1974, and underwent renovations in 1982 and 1988 and currently operates at 300% of designed capacity. This limits needed space for additional seating, meeting space, and new collections. Members of the City Council and Library Board were asked what they were looking for in a new building. The responses were anonymized, but an overall preference was shown for open spaces with natural lighting. The role of technology in modern libraries was also addressed in comments.
Though the new library will sit in the City’s most stringent architectural review zone and its design will be subject to review by the Architectural Review Board, few of the survey respondents felt that it was important for the building to have a colonial appearance. One respondent answered, “Given the various surrounding aesthetics of the condos across the street, the Community Building, the Stryker Center, the Fire Station and the Municipal Building … I do not feel it’s important that the library exterior be colonial.”
Other News
Williamsburg City Council confirmed their support for funding a couple of large infrastructure projects, though Council Members will still need to vote on final design plans and costs for each project. The City hopes that costs for the proposed roundabout project at Richmond Rd./Monticello Ave./ Lafayette St., estimated to $6.3M, will be covered by federal transportation funding administered by the State. The City’s Director of Public Works mentioned that the project’s cost has increased more than the currently allotted funding from the State. The City also approved creating designs for other significant changes to Lafayette St. including widening lanes and building a mixed-use path. Overall, the City expects these projects to take up to five years to complete. Check out more details in our previous reporting about this project.
(Update 3-15-25: fixed typo)
George Arbogust is Founder and Editor of the Williamsburg Independent. Consider buying him a cup of coffee.