Fairfax Old Town Hall Rehabilitation
in progressStatus set at City Council Meeting on Jul 22, 2025 · ▶ watch the moment
Project wiki — a maintained overview, meeting history, and recorded positions.
- Proposed
- Under reviewApr 8, 2025
- 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 City Council work session discussion originally scheduled for April 8, 2025 was rescheduled to April 22, 2025 without discussion. A subsequent presentation update was delivered to Council during a June 24, 2025 work session, with no formal action taken at that time. On July 22, 2025, Council approved — on a 5-1 vote as part of the consent agenda — a contract award to A.P. Construction, LLC for the Old Town Hall Phase 2 Rehabilitation project in the estimated amount of $2,498,800.80. As of a November 2025 transcript excerpt, the project was noted to be ongoing under staff oversight, with concerns raised about staffing constraints potentially causing delays and variances from approved appropriations.
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.
Open questions & options on the table
- Whether staffing constraints have caused or will cause delays or cost variances beyond what was approved in the July 2025 contract award, and whether Council will receive a more structured front-end briefing on staff limitations for this and similar projects going forward.
What members have said
At the February 10, 2025 Planning Commission meeting, Commissioner Rice reported that Old Town Hall would be offline for approximately twelve months due to renovations and noted the upcoming PRAB meeting in connection with this.
Council Member Hardy-Chandler cast the sole 'no' vote on the July 22, 2025 consent agenda that included the contract award to A.P. Construction, LLC for the Phase 2 Rehabilitation project. No recorded comment explaining the vote is available in the material.
At the February 10, 2025 Planning Commission meeting, Chair Feather reported attending a 'Breakfast with the Chairs' meeting and noted an upcoming meeting with the Economic Development Office, referenced in the same agenda item as Commissioner Rice's Old Town Hall comments.
Positions as recorded in meeting minutes; votes without recorded comment aren’t summarized.
Full history
[11] Commissioner Rice reported that Old Town Hall will be offline for approximately twelve months due to renovations.
[10a] Work session discussion on the Old Town Hall (3999 University Drive) renovation project was rescheduled to April 22, 2025.
[11a] Staff provided a presentation update on the Old Town Hall project during the work session; no formal action was taken.
[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.