January 26th, 2008

YORK - The county announced Thurs­day it will build its first public library in upper York, carving out a location in The Marquis shopping center.

The news signals the end of a funding agreement between York and Williams­burg Regional Library that has been in place for more than 20 years. York residents had full privileges at the Williamsburg and James City County libraries until late 2006, when privileges were lowered from 40 books at a time to 20 in response to a cut in funding.

The new 21,400-square-foot library is scheduled to open by April 2009.

County administrator James McReynolds said the county has entered into a 40-year lease agreement with Marquis developer Premier Properties. The developer will build the shell for the library and the county will be responsible for interior buildout.

McReynolds declined to give an estimated cost for the project, adding that the design of the building is still in the preliminary stages and that costs are likely to change.

“The library is a wonderful use, which helps to diversify our mix of tenants at The Marquis and will help to increase our site as a destination for shoppers,” said Jeff Kanable, a property acquisition specialist with Premier Properties. “We understand the library is a much-needed service in this community and have been discussing its potential at The Marquis since the project’s inception.”

Supervisors chairman Tom Shepperd said the library’s location at The Marquis is a win-win situation for the county and Premier.

“It was always in the back of our minds to have library services provided to the citizens in upper York through the county,” Shepperd said. “As we started the building of The Mar­quis, the idea kind of surfaced that this might be an opportunity for a kind of a mutual benefit for the county and for the mall.

“It’s a good location,” he said. “Customers for the mall will be able to go to the library, and customers for the library will be able to go to the mall.”

It’s unclear if the library will occupy space once intended for retail business at The Marquis. If so, that could reduce sales tax revenue York would have collected.

“Everything we do is aimed at providing multiple services to our citizens even if it does not have a cash register cha-ching characteristic,” said Bruton District supervisor Walt Zaremba. “We’re not rabid to the point that everything we build in a commercial block has to turn a profit.”

Although a retail shopping center is not a traditional location for a public library, Shep­perd said it’s not unheard of. He pointed to one of Hampton’s libraries, which is located in a shopping center on Big Bethel Road.

“We don’t need to buy the brick and mortar, and we have the opportunity to provide a service to the citizens of upper York,” he said.

Zaremba stressed that The Marquis is a “lifestyle center” that will feature not only retail space but also offices and a Hyatt hotel.

“It may be somewhat new in the placement of libraries, but so was the notion of mixed-use not too many years ago,” Zaremba said. “The library is just another piece of adding to the fullness of a lifestyle center.”

The county’s two other libraries are located in lower York. The Yorktown Library is on Route 17. The Tabb Library is on Long Green Boulevard.

York will continue to fund Williamsburg Regional Library through its 2009 budget.

Williamsburg Regional Library director John A. Moorman said it is unclear how York residents’ library privileges will be affected when the county stops funding the library sys­tem. Non-resident users are allowed to check out up to 10 items at a time.

“Our board is examining all possibilities,” Moorman said.

York’s annual contribution of $422,000 to Williamsburg Regional Library makes up about 6% of the system’s operating budget.

“That’s a drop in funding that is not going to be picked up by other entities,” Moorman said.

York made a similar break with James City over funding for recreational facilities, ending its contribution to the James City-Wil­liamsburg Com­munity Center. In response, James City began charging York users a non-resident fee for membership. York County rebated the difference until the Wilkinson YMCA opened on Sentara Circle.

A meeting to get public comment about the new library is planned. No date for the meeting has been set.

“I strongly encourage people to come in and let us know their thoughts,” Shepperd said. “The Board of Supervisors always wants to hear from constituents about our activities. That tells us whether we’re on the mark or not.”

Copyright © 2008, The Virginia Gazette