Manassas City Council

Manassas

Backyard Chicken Proposal Clucked Out by Manassas City Council

By Potomac Local News

MANASSAS, Va. – A plan to allow backyard chickens within city limits has stalled after the Manassas City Council chose not to move forward during its May 20, 2025, work session.

The proposal resurfaced after growing public interest over the past year. Manassas previously explored the idea in 2021 but paused it amid concerns over noise, odor, neighborhood impacts, and enforcement challenges. Under current rules, chicken coops must be 250 feet from neighboring homes — making them nearly impossible on most residential lots.

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Manassas

City Learns Bank Tenant at Manassas Data Center Is Tax-Exempt, Sparking Revenue Concerns

By Potomac Local News

MANASSAS, Va. – City leaders say they were surprised to learn that the first tenant of the newly opened Brickyard Data Center on Godwin Drive won’t contribute to the city’s business personal property tax base as expected.

The data center, operated by Digital Realty Trust, opened earlier this year. Officials had projected millions in tax revenue from computer equipment expected to fill the site. But when tax paperwork arrived on April 14, 2025, city officials learned the first tenant is a bank—an industry that is exempt from paying business personal property taxes under Virginia law.

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Manassas

Your Next Tax Bill Won’t Go Up Quite as Much as It Could Have—But It’s Still Going Up

By Potomac Local News

MANASSAS, Va. – Manassas leaders agreed Monday night to keep the city’s tax rate steady for the upcoming fiscal year, despite calls from some on the City Council to lower it and give homeowners a break.

While the tax rate isn’t changing, rising property values mean most homeowners will still see bigger tax bills when they arrive later this year.

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Manassas

City Officials Caught Off Guard as Bank Tenant Sidesteps Millions in Data Center Taxes

By Uriah Kiser

MANASSAS, Va. – A bank tenant inside a newly completed data center in Manassas has triggered a sweeping local tax exemption, upending financial expectations and leaving city officials blindsided.

At the April 30, 2025, Manassas City Council meeting, Commissioner of the Revenue Tim Demeria revealed that a tenant inside the new Brickyard data center, operated by Digital Realty Trust, had filed paperwork identifying itself as a bank. Under Virginia Code §58.1-1202, banks are exempt from local Business, Professional and Occupational License (BPOL) taxes and the business personal property taxes that typically bring cities millions in revenue from data centers.

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Manassas

Bird Blamed for Power Outage at UVA Prince William Medical Center; Second Manassas Outage in a Week

By Uriah Kiser

MANASSAS, Va. — A bird caused a power outage at UVA Prince William Medical Center on Tuesday, April 29, 2025, marking the second disruption to the city’s electric service in less than a week and raising new questions about the reliability and cost of Manassas’ electric utility.

City officials said the bird came into contact with utility lines near the hospital, damaging a transformer. The hospital, which has three backup power options, quickly switched to an alternate source, restoring power soon after the incident. However, the hospital later experienced a separate internal breaker trip, leaving one building without electricity for a short time.

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Manassas

Manassas Eyes $700K Cleanup Grant as It Prepares Downtown Site for Parking Garage, Hotel Project

By Uriah Kiser

Manassas is preparing to tap into $700,000 in state funding to clean up petroleum-contaminated soil beneath the former Manassas Ice and Fuel Company, Inc. (MIFCO) site. This will pave the way for a second public parking garage and a long-sought hotel development in the heart of downtown.

City leaders recently purchased the former MIFCO property next to City Hall for $3.1 million. Once home to an oil company, the site will eventually house a new multi-level parking garage—a critical component in revitalizing the city’s hotel plans following the 2023 demolition of the Old Towne Inn, which the city acquired for $5.75 million.

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Manassas

Councilmember Vasquez Luna Pushes for Higher Business Tax Rate, Council Decides to Hold Off — For Now

By Uriah Kiser
Vásquez Luna

A push by Councilmember Sonia Vasquez Luna to raise the business computer equipment tax rate met resistance Monday night, as the Manassas City Council instead chose to maintain the current rate of $2.15 per $100 of assessed value.

Vasquez Luna proposed aligning the computer equipment tax, data center tax, and personal property tax (vehicles) at a uniform $3.50 rate, saying it would offer consistency and potentially allow the city to reduce the tax burden on vehicle owners.

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Manassas

Manassas Council Voices Support for Competitive Teacher Pay Amid Budget Constraints

By Uriah Kiser

Members of the Manassas City Council voiced support for efforts to keep teacher pay competitive with neighboring Prince William County Schools during a joint meeting with the city’s School Board on March 26, 2025—even as the city faces tighter fiscal limitations and a far smaller student population.

The meeting came one day after the School Board adopted its overall budget for the next fiscal year on March 25, which includes $60.9 million in funding for Manassas City Public Schools. While the budget already includes a 5.5% average pay raise for all school employees, School Board members said an additional $1.7 million would allow them to offer a 7% increase—matching the raise announced by Prince William County Schools.

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Manassas

Bridge Repairs Begin on Route 28 as City Prepares to Remove Canceled Bypass from Long-Range Plans

By Uriah Kiser

Drivers should expect delays on Route 28 (Centreville Road) as the Virginia Department of Transportation begins repairs to the bridge over Bull Run, located at the Fairfax County and Prince William County line.

Weather permitting, the work will involve single-lane closures between March 31 and April 24, during daytime hours:

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Manassas

16 Months After Motel Demolition, Downtown Manassas Lot Becomes Temporary Parking

By Uriah Kiser
A backhoe operator clears debris from the demolished Old Towne Inn's parking lot, making way for a new $160,000 temporary parking lot in the heart of Downtown Manassas.

More than a year after the city demolished the Olde Towne Inn, efforts are underway to improve the now vacant lot in the heart of downtown Manassas. The city recently announced a $160,000 project to convert the space into a temporary parking lot, a move that comes as plans for a new hotel on the site have stalled.

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