WOODBRIDGE, Va. – Prince William County is on track to open a 24/7 mental health Crisis Receiving Center (CRC) in October 2025, following a years-long effort to expand behavioral health services and despite an ongoing Medicaid reimbursement challenge that has delayed the project.
Chief Transformation Officer Lisa Madron confirmed the opening during a May 20 presentation to the Board of County Supervisors. The facility in the former Gander Mountain building on Worth Avenue, outside Potomac Mills mall, will feature separate adult and youth units, with 16 23-hour observation units and 16 crisis stabilization beds in each.
“The CRC complex will have an adult crisis receiving center with 16 23-hour observation units and 16 crisis stabilization beds and a youth CRC with 16 23-hour observation units and 16 crisis stabilization beds,” Madron said.
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MANASSAS, Va. – With construction underway and a private operator on board, Manassas is inching closer to launching commercial airline service from its regional airport. But after years of planning, the first flights won’t take off until 2026—a full year later than initially planned.
At a City Council work session on May 20, 2025, airport officials shared updates on infrastructure and federal regulatory changes that pushed the timeline. The newest airport master plan outlines major upgrades like a new terminal and improved airfield layout to accommodate commercial jets and future growth.
“We started this process back in 2021,” said Airport Director Juan Rivera, noting how commercial service shifted the city’s aviation strategy. “When we had enough information, we came forth… [and] the airport will now become a commercial service airport.”
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This temporary program has been in place since April 2023, but was implemented in early 2024 in highway work zones and school crossing zones. In July 2024, the Board voted to extend the pilot period until Aug. 31, 2025. Transportation staff have now requested that the program become a permanent fixture of the county.
Rick Canizales, director of the county's transportation department, said that since the implementation of cameras in several school zones, the county has issued nearly 15,000 notices as of Dec. 3, 2024. Canizales noted that 10,677 of these notices were violations and 61% — or 6,463 — had been paid.
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PRINCE WILLIAM COUNTY, Va. – As the Class of 2025 prepares to celebrate graduation, Prince William County’s School Board is expected to approve three major policy updates affecting religious expression, patriotic observances, and grading practices. The measures are on the consent agenda for the board’s meeting on Wednesday, May 21, and are likely to pass without discussion.
🎓 Policy on Religious Expression Clarified
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MANASSAS, Va. – Virginia Railway Express (VRE) unveiled a sweeping set of changes coming to its downtown Manassas station, promising major improvements in safety, accessibility, and future service flexibility. The update came during a presentation to the Manassas City Council on May 20, 2025.
“This project will help us to separate many of those elements—vehicular and train traffic, pedestrian and train traffic,” said Dallas Richards, VRE’s Deputy CEO and Chief Engineer. “All are good things, but when they mix, it's not such a good thing.”
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MANASSAS, Va. – The City of Manassas is moving forward with plans for a new extended-stay hotel at the Landing at Cannon Branch. At a May 20, 2025, work session, the City Council reviewed architectural plans for a Home2 Suites by Hilton, a four-story, 100-room hotel that will become the second Hilton-branded property in the development.
The architectural review, required under the terms of the city’s rezoning of the property, drew general support from council members. Several praised the design and raised questions about site access, signage, and parking for the new hotel, which will sit adjacent to the existing Tru by Hilton.
“We are here to solicit your approval for the architectural design of this property,” said City Manager Steve Burke. Councilman Ralph Smith added, “For the record, I like the color scheme.”
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A Prince William County Supervisor is calling for a review of how the Cities of Manassas and Manassas Park contribute to the operation of the Circuit Court Clerk’s Office, citing concerns about equity as the office expands its public service offerings and technology footprint.
During the April 1 meeting of the Prince William Board of County Supervisors, Coles District Supervisor Yesli Vega questioned whether the county’s two cities are paying their fair share under a longstanding Shared Services Agreement (SSA). Her comments followed a presentation by Clerk of the Circuit Court Jacqueline Smith, who requested county support for new technology upgrades and legislative action to recover lost revenues.
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In the first public meeting between the Board of County Supervisors and Prince William County Schools (PWCS) leadership on April 1, members from each body expressed their concerns over proposed cuts to public schools by President Donald Trump.
Since entering office on Jan. 20, Trump has released a flurry of executive orders targeting education, including an order to diminish the federal Department of Education. In late March, the department's workforce was reduced by 50% and many workers are being shifted to other federal departments.
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At the April 1 meeting, many of Prince William's Board of County Supervisors railed against Prince William County Schools (PWCS) administration in their budget asks for the fiscal year 2026.
PWCS' Board Chairman Dr. Babur Lateef, along with Superintendent LaTanya McDade, Ed.D., presented the adopted $1.89 billion operating and debt budget to the supervisors. This is a $111 million — or 6.2% — increase from last year's approved budget.
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The county's current noise ordinance, which hasn't been significantly updated since the 1990s, is being reviewed after residents pointed out the low-frequency noise produced by data centers.
"I've never seen an issue unite people across political parties, across every box, you can think of when it comes to the concerns and issues that have been raised by [the data centers]," Coles District Supervisor Yesli Vega said in the Board's March 18 meeting.
