Businesses Take Hit From Road Project

The project to widen Centreville Road (Route 28) in Manassas, which began this month, has taken parking and display space from businesses. (By Jennifer Buske -- The Washington Post)
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"They already condemned the land, so there was no use arguing anymore, and I don't have the money to go to court," Ramos said. "I think they should have compensated me more for the loss of my business. They do so much for the businesses in Old Town but nothing for the rest of the businesses in the community."

The city has not reached an agreement with Mabudian, Curry's Auto Parts, E.E. Wine or JAB1 Enterprises, which owns a KIA dealership on Centreville Road.

"Road widening is a true public purpose, so we are not fighting that," said Joseph Waldo, a lawyer with Waldo & Lyle P.C., who is representing Mabudian. "What we are fighting for is just compensation. For car dealers, their frontage is their showroom. . . . The city said there were no damages, but this will significantly impact the residual property."

The city has condemned about 4,000 square feet and offered about $111,460 to Mabudian, Waldo said, and a small portion of the property will be returned after construction. Waldo said he is also in discussions with the Curry family, whose auto parts business has been on Route 28 for almost 30 years.

Gifford Hampshire, a lawyer with Blankingship & Keith who is representing the KIA dealership, said his client's biggest concern is also the loss of show space in front. The city's most recent offer to the company was $84,100 to acquire 3,935 square feet, about 1,300 of which would be returned after the project's completion. "We don't contest the value of widening the road," Hampshire said. "It's the fact that [17] display spaces will be taken, and those are critical to an auto dealer."

Swartz said the city expects "minimal" disruption during the project, as crews are scheduled to work only between the hours of 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. There were problems Wednesday when crews punctured a gas line, shutting down the northbound lanes for four hours and causing 65 businesses to temporarily lose gas service.

"It's construction, so I fully expect there to be some impact to business during the construction phase," Loveless said. "But once complete, I think it will make up for what we lost. The city is growing, and you have to build roads to accommodate that."