Could Little Falls Library Be On The Move?

The Montgomery County Public Libraries and the county's Department of General Services are hosting a meeting next week to discuss the future of a library in the center of redevelopment plans for Westbard. County planners have suggested moving the Little Falls Library (5501 Massachusetts Avenue) from its current spot to the project developer Equity One is planning for the nearby Westwood Center on Westbard Avenue. In preliminary concept plans, planners have said relocating the library to the development could make it a centerpiece for a new town square-like layout at what's now a strip shopping center and large parking lot. Planners have suggested the current Little Falls Library site could then be used for a new elementary school. It's unclear where Libraries and the Department of General Services (the county agency that oversees library construction) stand on the issue. The meeting is open to the public and set for Tuesday, April 21 at 7:30 p.m.-9 p.m. The meeting is described as a discussion of the library and the Westbard Sector Plan. It will be held at the library. As part of their ongoing update of the Westbard Sector Plan, planners will hold their own public meeting on Wednesday, April 22. A relocation for the Little Falls Library to the new site would require buy-in from developer Equity One. When revealing his company's initial plans in February, Equity One Vice President of Development Michael Berfield pointed to retail space that could be reserved for the library, though he said Equity One is open to the Planning Department's suggestions for placement. The issue likely won't be settled until the Westbard Sector Plan goes before the County Council, which is now scheduled for March 2016. Image via S9 Architecture/Perkins Eastman