The McLean Project for the Arts (MPA) may get a $500,000 boost from Fairfax County taxpayers to help bring the arts group’s planned facility in downtown McLean to fruition.
MPA has negotiated an agreement to purchase 5,000 square feet of vacant retail space, plus a 1,700-square-foot outdoor patio area, at The Signet, a residential building located at 6910 Fleetwood Road.
The new facility will create a long-term asset for the group, increase property value in the area, and boost the arts group’s strength and economic diversity, MPA executive director Lori Carbonneau said July 23 at the Board of Supervisors’ Economic Initiatives Committee meeting.
“What we envision is a purpose-built space that will have two fantastic galleries [and] two state-of-the-art studios,” Carbonneau said. “We’ve chosen ceramics for that space, largely because of the economic model that it provides.”
Ceramics offer the chance for MPA to provide classes and a membership program. Demand is high for such services, with other organizations in the region having waiting lists with up to 500 people, she said.
The project’s total estimated cost of $7.2 million includes $2.3 million for real-estate acquisition, $3.3 million for renovation expenses, $370,000 for equipment and $1.25 million for other expenses.
Staff recommended that the county government invest $500,000 from the Economic Opportunity Reserve for MPA’s project. MPA will raise the full cost of the property acquisition and so far has brought in $1,825,000, officials said.
If approved, the initiative would boost MPA’s direct revenue and create three to five more full-time jobs, not counting staff employed at the site’s café.
“It will take vacant retail space in a structure and really turn it into an active, vibrant arts center, contributing to the placemaking efforts in McLean and really enhancing [MPA’s] fiscal viability and sustainability,” said Scott Sizer, deputy director of the county’s Department of Economic Initiatives.
“It’s been a tremendous opportunity to work with the McLean Project for the Arts,” Sizer said. “They have really been a great partner. They are extremely well-organized financially. They have done their due diligence.”
Fairfax County officials established the Economic Opportunity Reserve in 2016. For projects to be approved for funding, they must first be nominated – Supervisor Jimmy Bierman (D-Dranesville) did this June 25 for MPA’s proposal – then evaluated and approved by the Board of Supervisors.
The project could increase property value by 40 percent or more, officials said. The site, delivered as retail space in 2018, has never been occupied and now is valued at about $1.66 million, or 28 percent less than in 2020, Sizer said.
The county over a 10-year period likely would receive $150,000 to $300,000 in direct revenue from the initiative, he said.
County supervisors, who expressed support for the project, will decide at a future meeting whether to contribute funds toward MPA’s proposal.
Founded in 1962, nonprofit MPA exhibits artists’ works, holds art classes and conducts outreach programs and community events, such as MPAartfest in October (although not this year, because of ongoing renovation efforts at McLean Central Park).
The group has been located upstairs at the McLean Community Center since 1997 and will maintain its presence there. MPA will continue to offer its drawing, painting and mixed-media classes at the community center.
“We are a robust organization that has strong fiscal management, strong fiscal performance and really a solid set of partnerships in the community,” Carbonneau said.
