Sherwood Community Center

Summary

The Sherwood Community Center (also referred to as the Stacy C. Sherwood Center) is an existing City of Fairfax community facility that serves as a venue for civic events, cultural celebrations, and public meetings. As of July 2024, it hosted the Urban Forest Management Plan open house. A major redevelopment is under discussion: a joint City/County project to build a new "Willard Sherwood Community Center" complex in partnership with Fairfax County, incorporating the Willard Health Center. As of February 2026, the existing Sherwood Center was planned to connect to the new facility, with an optional addition to extend and renovate its performance space included in the design; staff presented an update to Council but no action was taken. By April 2026, the project had generated substantial public comment urging the Council to approve construction funding and authorize associated bonds, with speakers citing parking deficiencies, ADA concerns, and the benefits of the City-County partnership. In the meantime, the existing Sherwood Center has continued to operate as an active community hub, hosting events including a Pride festival (June 6, 2026) and a Juneteenth celebration (June 19, 2026), and is scheduled to host a zoning ordinance amendment community meeting in September.

Open questions & options on the table

• Whether the Council has voted to approve construction funding and authorize bonds for the Willard Sherwood Community Center project (vote was anticipated/urged at the April 28, 2026 meeting but no outcome is recorded in the dated material).
• Whether the optional performance space addition and renovation will be included in the final design scope.
• Final resolution of the joint City/County redevelopment agreement terms and project timeline.

Discussion time

Minutes of named discussion per transcribed meeting.