Plans for a new aquatics and fitness center in the roughly three-acre site gained traction in 2023 when the Town surveyed residents on potential uses for the land, and discussions have been ongoing since. The Annex site at 301 Center Street South has stood empty for nearly six years since the Town of Vienna purchased the property in 2020.
The center would have encompassed roughly 24,000 to 30,000 square feet and two stories – a ground-level aquatics area and second-floor fitness center. The aquatics portion, planned to span around 12,000 square feet under the initial concept, was intended to feature a leisure-oriented recreational pool with four 25-meter swim lanes. Other amenities would have included open deck space and locker rooms with family changing areas. The fitness center, meanwhile, would have provided space for cardio equipment, free weights and circuit training, with a view overlooking the pool.
Among Madison students, reactions leaned towards the negative or uninformed–the majority of students interviewed were unaware of the significance of the anti-pool signs scattered across Vienna.
“I was not in support of the pool,” Kate Bagley (’28), a swimmer at Madison, said. “I know that [there are] teams…[who] would love to rent it out for practices, but they can’t do that if the pool is kinda useless.”
As of publication, the proposed aquatics and fitness center has been put on hold due to widespread public discontent. In 2025, however, the Town Council accepted a $3 million interest-free advance from Navy Federal Credit Union to support initial project management, engineering and architectural work. The project would cost, in total, an estimated $21 million to $26 million by 2030. To pay for the center, the Town was considering using a combination of the income generated by the advance, increased meals tax and General Obligation Bonds.
The center would offer year-round indoor aquatic and fitness space, potentially serving families, seniors, youth swim lessons, water fitness classes and other wellness programs in a community that lacks dedicated, local indoor options. Proponents of the center argue that such a facility would fill an important gap, promoting health and community, particularly during the colder months when outdoor recreation is limited.
Feelings about the aquatics center are mixed. Critics cite a myriad of reasons for opposition to another aquatics center, from the view that Vienna residents are already being served by nearby Fairfax County centers such as Oakmont and Spring Hill to concerns over the project’s scale and long-term cost. Some estimates suggested the center would run a deficit of roughly $1 million or more, per year, in perpetuity. Opposition towards the center was strong enough to warrant the creation of a website, responsible for the “Small Pool BIG Cost” signs that numerous homes in Vienna sported on their front lawns.
“There are a wide variety of views about the proposed aquatic center, both in the town and on the Town Council,” chair of the Vienna Planning Commission, Matthew Glassman, said. “No aquatic center. An aquatic center with a small pool. An aquatic center with a big pool.”
He added that the Council has, as of Apr. 22, decided to take a pause on its consideration of the Annex property.
“The pause was in response to the lack of consensus on whether to have an aquatic center,” Glassman said. “A lot of residents, and likely a majority of the town council, are right now against it.”
Mayor Linda Colbert reinforced the decision in a Facebook message, stating that because the proposal was dividing Vienna, she was going to ask the Council to postpone plans for the Annex indefinitely.
“My reaction to hearing that the pool had been postponed was mostly positive,” Bagley said. “I would love a pool in Vienna, it was too much money for such a useless pool.”
Town materials offered a differing perspective, stating that the potential aquatics and fitness center is, according to the Annex Property Reimagined page on the Town’s website, “designed with the community in mind, providing a comprehensive and accessible space for recreation, fitness and family fun.”
With the Town Council having paused its considerations of the Annex property, and Colbert calling for an indefinite postponement, it is unlikely the aquatics and fitness center will move forward in the near future requiring renewed discussion and broader agreement amongst residents and the Town Council alike.
