Supporting planning to co-locate public facilities: A case study from Loudoun County, Virginia

Co-locating public facilities is an example of a local government policy with perceived benefits in terms of resource savings, increased efficiency and synergy of services, and enhanced sense of community. Such benefits may be especially critical for local governments that are experiencing rapid population growth. This research is designed to support planning to co-locate public facilities in Loudoun County, Virginia; a rapidly-growing county in the northern Virginia suburbs of the Washington, DC metropolitan area. The goal of the research is to undertake a retrospective cost-benefit analysis for a co-located elementary school and library. Results highlight the dramatic savings in land acquisition costs that co-locating public facilities can provide. Further research to more accurately estimate the social costs and benefits of co-locating public facilities is needed to make its widespread adoption more feasible.