Lego Center Groundbreaking Marks Springfield's Ongoing Economic Growth

SPRINGFIELD, VA — Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Chairman Jeff McKay joined Franconia District Supervisor Rodney Lusk on Dec. 8 for a groundbreaking ceremony celebrating the official start to construction of the Lego Discovery Center at Springfield Town Center.

The 32,000-square-foot indoor Lego Discovery Center, the first one in the D.C. area., is expected to open in 2023. There are 27 Lego Discovery Centers around the world, 14 of them in the U.S.

“Having personally worked on the transformation of the old Springfield Mall into the Springfield Town Center over many years, it was an honor today to participate in the @LEGO_Group Discovery Center groundbreaking,” McKay said.

McKay, who served as Lee District supervisor — now officially renamed the Franconia District — prior to his election as chairman in 2019, said the new Lego Discovery Center will be part of the remake of the retail attractions at Springfield Town Center.

“I grew up going to Springfield Mall, and as having previously served as Supervisor in Franconia District, I worked tirelessly on the reimagining and rebuilding of the mall as a critical asset to the Fairfax County community,” McKay said in his latest chairman’s newsletter.

McKay also noted that plans are in the works to build a new Inova Franconia-Springfield Hospital, which is expected to open in 2027.

The Lego Discovery Center groundbreaking comes as the Transportation Security Administration and the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency grow more comfortable in their new headquarters complexes in Springfield.

The FBI is also considering Springfield as the location for its new headquarters.

“I firmly believe Springfield is the best possible choice for the FBI as it has everything the agency could want in a headquarters location — multiple housing options, extensive multimodal transit network, major retail outlets, and an educated, dynamic and diverse workforce waiting for the opportunity to serve and support the FBI’s operations,” McKay said.

Sites in Greenbelt and Landover, Maryland, are also in the running to be the new location of the FBI headquarters. In September, the General Services Administration said it anticipates making a decision on the location for the FBI’s new headquarters “in the coming months.”

“We are ready in every aspect to begin the building of the new headquarters in Springfield today and to add the FBI to our many national security agencies who also call Fairfax County home,” McKay said. “I have been working closely with our federal delegation and the Governor to make this happen.”