Arlington County Manager Ron Carlee has recommended the county move forward with plans for a cultural center in Rosslyn.
The county would pay $5.6 million for the project and an additional $1.1 million would come from the Rosslyn Business Improvement District. The center would combine the Rosslyn Spectrum and space vacated by the Newseum when it relocated to D.C.
Under the plan, the center would house two performing arts spaces, an exhibition gallery, a ballroom, a restaurant, and retail space. Officials estimate it would have a $10 million impact on the economy annually and attract about 250,000 visitors each year.
The county has been searching for a way to build a cultural center for 30 years, said county spokesperson Mary Curtius.
“Right now, any kind of performance takes place in a school, essentially,” she said.
But some residents are not on board with the project. Larry Mayer, president of the Arlington County Civic Federation, said there was about 50/50 support for the center at the last federation meeting.
“I’m a believer in the arts and supporting the arts if, in the overall picture, we have the fiscal capability to do so,” he said, citing other priorities such as infrastructure and schools in the county. “At the current time, I would question the capacity to do everything.”
Carlee admitted that the costs associated with such a project have always been “daunting.”
“There will be some people who will say, ‘How can we spend money on this when we have other priorities?’ ” he said.
But he also noted that a renegotiation with the landlord, Monday Properties, would give the county 17+ years of free rent in the space. The Rosslyn Business Improvement Corporation would eventually contribute about $300,000 to ongoing annual costs, in addition to the $1.1 million up front.
“This is a very, very good deal,” he said.
Curtius estimated that a new center built from the ground-up would cost about $40 million.
The proposal will go to public hearing July 11 before board approval.
Proposed timeline for the Arlington Cultural Center
» Public Hearing and County Board Vote: July 11, 2009
» Begin design for interior renovation: July 2009
» Complete design for interior renovation: Winter 2009
» Award construction contract for interior renovations: Winter 2009
» Begin interior renovation construction: Winter 2009
» Complete interior renovation construction: Fall 2010
» Cultural Center Opens: Fall 2010
Source: Arlington County government
