MANASSAS, Va. — Months of construction, orange barrels, and street closed but “shops open for business signs in Old Town Manassas are a thing of the past.
City officials today cut the ribbon on the new Main Street Streetscapes Project where sidewalks were widened in areas from four and five feet up to 16-feet-wide. The idea is two allow more outdoor restaurant seating in the Old Town business district.
New trees, including 19 Allee Lacebark Elm and Green Vase Japanese Zelkova trees now line the street. So do brick crosswalks, making for a nicer looking crosswalk experience for pedestrians, city officials said.
Here’s more in a press release:
The Main Street Streetscapes project is part of the City’s continuing investment in the Old Town area in an effort to attract visitors and enhance their experience in the City of Manassas.
In 2000, the City began recreating the Old Town area by making an investment in the Candy Factory and creating the Loy E. Harris Pavilion. In 2005 and ‘06 the sidewalks on Center Street were widened and streetscapes improved.
In 2008, improvements were made to Battle Street. Now, throughout the summer, residents and visitors can take in a band while dining or shopping along Battle Street or attend a cultural event at the Harris Pavilion or the Center for the Arts at the Candy Factory.
“I can see Main Street merchants, restaurants and businesses benefitting from the more welcoming ambiance outside their doors,” said Mayor Harry J. Parrish II. “I’m sure the wider sidewalks, outdoor dining, and trees will encourage more visitors to spend time on Main Street, as they do on Battle Street and in other areas of Old Town.”
The Main Street Streetscapes project is a Capital Improvement Plan project with a budget of $1.075 million dollars, with $100,000 going to design costs and $975,000 for construction.
