 DonateRobbins Library, the Department of Planning and Community Development (DPCD), and its consultant, Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC) are hosting an Open House on September 18, 2024 from 6:30PM-8:00PM at Fox Branch Library at 175 Mass Ave. Residents are encouraged to stop by to learn more about the feasibility study being conducted to explore possible options for incorporating housing into the redevelopment plans for a new Fox Branch Library. Â
The Fox Branch Library is long overdue for facility upgrades. Planned improvement at Fox based on the 2015-2017 “Reimagining Our Libraries” project were put on hold during the 2020/2021 period as services were impacted during the COVID Pandemic.
In October 2022 when Library and Town leaders turned back to discussing a future for the Fox Branch Library, the leadership team made a commitment to investigate options around co-locating housing with a new public library building. Arlington is committed to creating more housing, and redeveloping a property on Mass Ave provides the Town a unique opportunity to create additional housing on the busy Mass Ave corridor with an anticipated library building project. Since then, Library and Town leaders created two parallel projects; a needs assessment and space recommendations for a rebuilt Fox Branch Library, and a feasibility study to learn more about developing housing above the planned library space.
Fox Branch Library Needs Assessment
In April, 2023, Arlington submitted a letter of intent to apply for state grant funds to rebuild the Fox Branch Library. Working with a library building consultant, the Library completed a needs assessment, and submitted a full grant application. Three major priorities emerged from the needs assessment:
- Accessibility is a top priority for the Fox Branch Library
- The community highly values children’s spaces and services
- Current adult workspaces are inadequate
You can read about the need for a new library space, take a video tour of the Fox, and learn about the work of Town and Library leadership to apply for state funds for a library library space at A New Future for the Fox. More information about the Fox Branch Library and grant process is below.
Housing Fit and Feasibility Study
In the fall of 2023 Director of Planning and Community Development Claire Ricker contracted with the Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC) to complete a study with four main goals:
- Understand the feasibility of developing affordable housing above a new Fox Branch Library
- Build municipal capacity to enable a disposition process
- Engage with the public to establish community goals for potential Request for Proposal (RFP) criteria
- Encourage affordable housing opportunities in Arlington
You can find full information about the work of the MAPC team below.