MANASSAS — As Manassas continues to grow, many are calling for new rules to limit building heights in downtown in hopes to retain the city’s small-town charm.
On March 19 at the City of Manassas Economic Development Authority meeting, a discussion was had about the height of buildings in the city. EDA Secretary Miguel Pires expressed concern over the outcry he has heard from citizens about the height.
Pires said that during a recent meeting about the Comprehensive Plan, there “were a lot of people” that spoke out against tall buildings in the city’s downtown. About 20 to 30 people spoke don’t want to see buildings over three stories tall.
But, Pires asserted, “a lot of these projects have been plusses” for the city. One of them, Messenger Place, will soon open with 94 new homes and 3,500 square feet of streetside retail space.
Manassas Old Town Business Association President Joanne Wunderly, who also owns The Things I Love, a small boutique in the heart of the city since 1997, said that she hears people complain about the building size a lot.
She said it feels different on Center Street since the five-story Messenger Place building was built on Church Street.
“It’s like looming over you,” Wunderly said. “I mean what can you do about it at this point, it’s done.”
Wunderly said she does appreciate the business that housing in Downtown brings, and has a lot of customers coming from the Van Metre townhomes, built on nearby Zebedee Street.
“Do I like how [the Messenger Place building] feels and looks? No. Do I think that it’s progress? Yes. I do think we’ll probably benefit hopefully from that as merchants in the downtown area,” Wunderly said.
Some EDA members fear that height restrictions could force businesses from the city, forcing their owners to locate them instead in neighboring in Prince William County.
City Economic Development Director Patrick Small noted that concern about building height in the city had also been brought up at a March 18 City Council town hall meeting.
Pires said the concern over tall buildings “may be an overreaction” to a changing downtown. He encouraged the EDA to pass a resolution in favor of taller buildings. He wants the city’s Planning Commission to hear from residents who support growing taller.
Scott Hepburn, Treasurer for the EDA, said of the outcry about tall buildings, “I see it as a negative.” He added that “a lot of deals won’t be done” if buildings are required to stay at 3 stories.
At 65-feet-tall, the Virginia Railway Express parking garage is the tallest building in Downtown Manassas.
