Comments on the Manassas Comprehensive Plan Final Draft, January 27, 2020

Manassas City Council Public Hearing on Draft 2020 Comprehensive Plan

Statement of Allen Muchnick, January 27, 2020

I’m Allen Muchnick.  I live in the City of Manassas on Park St.

Regarding the controversy over building heights in the historic downtown, I generally support the language in the Land Use chapter and within the section on the historic downtown in particular.

That said, the Messenger Place project has significant flaws, most notably the provision of resident parking in a surface lot across Church St, rather than beneath the residential units.

I recommend the development of a form-based-code zoning overlay for the downtown area—and ultimately for the Mathis and Sudley Medical sectors—to promote the forms of mixed-use development, building heights and densities, building facades and setbacks, and public amenities that the community desires.

A general weakness of the proposed Comp Plan is inadequate emphasis on energy efficiency, environmental sustainability, and addressing our looming climate crisis.  The City, including its electrical utility department, should develop and adopt a comprehensive energy plan with measurable strategic objectives to lower carbon dioxide emissions and energy costs.

A weakness of the Land Use and Mobility chapters is the lack of specific objectives to break up the superblocks that inhibit access and mobility in our city.  In particular, the superblock bounded by Fairview Ave, Wellington Rd, Main St, and Prince William St should be broken up when the current police station is vacated.

Some of the transportation projects listed in Table 6.1 are not well described, especially in relation to the transportation projects in the current Capital Improvement Program.   For example, Project #10 is described as “Add bike facilities on Sudley Rd from Godwin Dr to Grant Ave” for $4.88 million, but there is no mention of the Sudley Rd Third Lane project.

Finally, regarding the Pedestrian Element of the Transportation Master Plan, last spring I recommended that the plan include missing sidewalks on Nelson Ln and Robnel Ave between Stonewall Rd and Peabody St, to provide east-west pedestrian access just north of the Judicial Center.  Staff rejected that recommendation on the grounds that a missing sidewalk is proposed one block farther north on Beauregard Ave.  However, that proposed sidewalk is farther from the Judicial Center, originates at the bottom of a steep hill on Stonewall Rd, and does not directly connect to the Owens Wood neighborhood west of Stonewall Rd.  Thus, I recommend including the missing sidewalk along Nelson Ln and Robnel Ave in the final Transportation Master Plan.

Thank you for your consideration.

Advocacy Statement to Prince William-Area State Legislators on January 4, 2020

Statement to the Prince William Delegation to the Virginia General Assembly January 4, 2020, by Allen Muchnick, Manassas Resident

I’m Allen Muchnick, a City of Manassas resident. I’ve been a board member of the Virginia Bicycling Federation since 1994 and helped found Active Prince William four years ago.

Both organizations seek safer and more pleasant walking and bicycling and improved justice for pedestrians and bicyclists injured by negligent motorists.  We support requiring motorists to stop--not merely yield--to persons in crosswalks; establishing a traffic infraction for motorists who fail to exercise due care to prevent a collision with a pedestrian or bicyclist; increased penalties for law-breaking motorists who severely injure pedestrians (HB 247); introducing speed cameras near schools; and lessening contributory negligence limitations for injured pedestrians and bicyclists.

To reduce the current epidemic of distracted driving, please ban all use of handheld electronic communication devices while driving a motor vehicle (SB 136, SB 160).

Please ensure that state-funded Potomac River crossing expansions at the American Legion Bridge and at the Long Bridge include substantial bicycle and pedestrian elements and that standalone bicycling and walking improvements are fully eligible for all relevant state and regional transportation funding programs.   Also, do not remove land-use considerations from the CTB’s SMART SCALE project evaluation process or restrict the use of congestion-priced tolls on limited-access highways, an effective congestion-reduction tool and valuable new funding source for multimodal transportation projects and services.

The following remarks are my own and should not be attributed to any specific organization:

Congratulations on your recent election.  The 2020 Legislative Session should allow many important but long-delayed progressive changes to finally become law: increasing the minimum wage, ratifying the ERA, common-sense gun controls, expanded and easier voting, redistricting and campaign-finance reforms, banning discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity, reversing anti-abortion restrictions and delays, decriminalizing marijuana possession, curtailing plastic bags and Styrofoam, and increasing the affordable housing supply.  

However, effectively addressing our looming climate crisis is paramount.  Please support the Green New Deal Act (HB 77), the Virginia Alternative Energy and Coastal Protection Act (HB 20), and the Virginia Energy Plan (SB 94), abolish the 1% cap on solar net metering by Virginia electric utilities, and expand opportunities for community solar projects.

Thank you for your service and best wishes for a productive legislative session.