Long overshadowed by Prince William County's much larger industrial park, Manassas's business park is attracting area companies.
Next year, two companies -- EMSI Engineering Inc. and Whitlock Dalrymple Poston & Associates Inc. -- will relocate from the county to Gateway Business Park, the city's last piece of undeveloped land.
Although the county is losing those two small businesses and their tax revenues to the city, county officials said they don't compete with Manassas for business.
"At the end of the day, if it makes business sense for that company to be in the city, we support them," said Jason Grant, spokesman for the Prince William County Department of Economic Development. "There's not this sort of battle between the county and the city."
Instead, city officials hope to handle some "spillover" from the county's Innovation@Prince William business park. Companies could open in Gateway to sell goods or services to larger businesses in Innovation, said Debi Sandlin, Manassas economic development manager.
Although Manassas has owned the 75-acre parcel for more than 20 years, it wasn't until interest rates fell a few years ago that officials began to plan its development.
"It encourages business who had been thinking about expanding," Sandlin said.
In July, a KPMG report suggested the city target biotechnology, information technology, financial services, government contractors and defense companies for the business park. Last month, city officials asked four developers to come up with proposals for the land. A developer should be hired by mid-summer to help city officials decide how to best use the rest of the land in the business park, Sandlin said.
By next year, three companies will be operating in the park.
Whitlock Dalrymple Poston & Associates will build a two-story, 30,000-square-foot office building in Gateway, off Route 28 across from the county's industrial park.
The consulting engineering company employs 40 people and plans to hire about 20 more in the next few years. The company, which evaluates buildings and bridges for cracks and leaks, has outgrown its current office space near the Manassas Mall.
Its new building should be complete by early 2006, said Rhett Whitlock, a principal in the company.
Company officials chose the site for a variety of reasons, including its proximity to Manassas Regional Airport.
"It's virtually in our back yard," said Whitlock, who hopes the airport will soon offer commuter service. If not, the company could purchase its own plane, he said.
