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Fairfax Old Town Hall Rehabilitation

in progress

Status set at City Council Meeting on Jul 22, 2025 · ▶ watch the moment

Project wiki — a maintained overview, meeting history, and recorded positions.

  1. Proposed
  2. Under review
    Apr 8, 2025
  3. Decided

Summary

The Fairfax Old Town Hall Rehabilitation project concerns the renovation of the historic Old Town Hall building at 3999 University Drive. As early as February 2025, Commissioner Rice flagged that the building would be offline for approximately twelve months during renovations. A planned City Council work session on the project was originally scheduled for April 8, 2025, but was rescheduled to April 22, 2025 without discussion. On June 24, 2025, staff provided a presentation update to the Council during a work session, with no formal action taken. The project advanced significantly on July 22, 2025, when the City Council approved — on the consent agenda by a 5-1 vote — a contract award of approximately $2,498,800.80 to A.P. Construction, LLC for the Phase 2 Rehabilitation. By November 2025, transcript remarks indicate concerns about staffing constraints potentially causing delays or other variances from the approved project scope and appropriation.

Official city record

City Project

The city is rehabilitating Old Town Hall, the premier public facility and cultural center of Fairfax for over 125 years. Phase 2 focuses on interior improvements, ADA accessibility, safety and sustainability upgrades, and rear addition modernization. Construction began August 2025 with anticipated completion June 2026.

Location: 3999 University Dr., Fairfax, VA 22030
Planner: Sayed Masood 703-273-8109
Sayed.Masood@fairfaxva.gov

Open questions & options on the table

  • Whether staffing constraints will result in project delays or other variances from the approved appropriation, and how Council will be kept informed of those risks going forward.
  • Whether a more formal mechanism will be established to communicate staff limitations to Council on the front end of future project approvals.

What members have said

Commissioner Rice

At the February 10, 2025 Planning Commission meeting, Rice noted that Old Town Hall would be offline for approximately twelve months due to renovations, and flagged an upcoming PRAB meeting related to the project.

Hardy-Chandler

Hardy-Chandler cast the sole dissenting vote against the July 22, 2025 consent agenda that included the contract award to A.P. Construction, LLC for the Phase 2 Rehabilitation. No recorded comment explaining the vote is available in the material.

Positions as recorded in meeting minutes; votes without recorded comment aren’t summarized.

Full history

  1. [11] Commissioner Rice reported that Old Town Hall will be offline for approximately twelve months due to renovations.

  2. Apr 8, 2025City Council· item 10adeferred#

    [10a] Work session discussion on the Old Town Hall (3999 University Drive) renovation project was rescheduled to April 22, 2025.

  3. [11a] Staff provided a presentation update on the Old Town Hall project during the work session; no formal action was taken.

  4. Jul 22, 2025City Council· item 6in progress#

    [6] Council awarded a contract in the estimated amount of $2,498,800.80 to A.P. Construction, LLC for the Old Town Hall Phase 2 Rehabilitation project.

    passedApprove the full consent agenda (items 6a–6e).
    Amos Bates Hall Hardy-Chandler McQuillen Peterson

Discussed alongside

Topics that come up in the same meetings.