Mapping Out a Plan for Growth

Manassas Residents, Merchants Brainstorm Ideas for Sudley Road Projects

Equipped with colored markers and maps of Manassas, city residents and business owners plotted their visions for the city's Sudley Road corridor last week.

The hands-on event Jan. 15 was meant to help generate ideas for Manassas officials as they work to devise a development plan for Sudley Road. If approved by the Manassas City Council, the plan would be rolled into the city's comprehensive plan and help guide development along the road for 10 to 20 years.

"It's great that the city is reaching out to the citizens to get feedback on this. That doesn't always happen," said Manassas resident Bill Cabrera, who lives and owns a business in the corridor. "I'm glad to be a part of this process, because I have a vested interest in this community."

Cabrera is among 20 people on a public advisory committee that will meet several times this year to discuss goals, strategies and proposed zonings for the area that spans Sudley Road from Grant Avenue to Godwin Drive. Similar projects have been completed for Old Town Manassas and Mathis Avenue, said Manassas Senior Planner Greg Bokan.

"This is about the future of the area, and the committee is here to help guide the planning process," Bokan said. The city has spent about $118,000 to hire land-use consulting firm Rhodeside & Harwell and engineering consulting firm Rummel, Klepper & Kahl to help with the plan, he said.

Residents and business owners along Sudley Road say that traffic is the corridor's biggest problem. Residents say there is always congestion around Stonewall Road and Forestwood Lane.

"The biggest issue I have is traffic. Rush hour on Sudley Road is a nightmare," said Manassas resident Barry Cullen, who has lived off Plantation Lane for 20 years. "When we first came, we could stand on the lawn and see one or two cars go by every so often; that's not the case anymore. . . . The city has come."

Committee members also voiced concerns about the lack of sidewalks, the overhead power lines -- which should be buried, they said -- and the intersection at Godwin Drive and Sudley Road, which is a gateway to the community.

"As you come into the city, it looks like a hodgepodge," said John Boronkay, deputy superintendent for administrative services of Manassas schools, who is on the committee because one of the district's schools, Haydon Elementary, is in the planning zone. "To me, nothing really fits, and there is no consistency. If that is one of our gateways into the city, then what message are we sending people coming into town?"

Another idea brought up at the meeting was the concept of a mixed-use or town center development. Committee members said they don't want strip malls or high-rise buildings, but something in between. More upscale restaurants and shops would be welcomed.

"It's critical Manassas does something with the area now, so we don't lose out to Gainesville and Haymarket," real estate agent Scott Jacobs said about the desire to create a business- and pedestrian-friendly sector. "I can see a beautiful, mixed-use center, better sidewalks . . . things that will get people to walk around rather than get in their cars."

One of the big pieces of the plan is Prince William Hospital, which is in the middle of the area being addressed. Committee members said they would like to see more parking, green space and medical offices around the campus.

"We don't have any defined plans right now for the hospital," said Cynda Tipple, the hospital's chief operating officer. "Our goal in this process is to maintain flexibility so as the community grows and more health-care needs arise, we have the ability to grow and meet those needs."

No date has been set for the committee's next meeting, but the public is invited, Bokan said. To get on a mailing list, contact Bokan at gbokan@ci.manassas.va.us.