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.