Manassas Mall Redevelopment Proposal With 1,000+ Living Units Advances To Final Review

MANASSAS, VA — A vision for residential and commercial uses around Manassas Mall could come to fruition if approved by Prince William County officials.

On Wednesday, the Prince William County Planning Commission advanced a rezoning proposal for a 60.56 acre section of the Manassas Mall property near the Rixlew Lane and Ashton Avenue intersection from business use to mixed use. The proposal for 1,041 multifamily residential units and about 47,036 square feet of commercial buildings would preserve the existing mall rather than demolish it.

"The mall today is essentially the mall as it was 30 years ago, to see something new come in here on an already developed site, a Brownfield site I think is going to be a big economic driver for this area and is something frankly the area needs," said Christopher Carroll, the planning commissioner for the Brentsville District where the mall is located. "We need to take that first step, but that's only going to work if Prince William County also invests in this area."

The planning commission approval came with proffers, including contributions to the county's housing trust fund and transportation plan. Other conditions of the rezoning approval are continued work on parking management and mitigating overcrowding at Ellis Elementary School. The proposal will go to the Prince William Board of County Supervisors for final action, but a date for that review has not yet been announced.

Developer Lionheart Capital's project renderings show buildings on three land parcels bordering the existing mall. Residential units would be split between three land parcels — 467 units, 368 units and 206 units. The density of the proposal would be nearly 100 units per acre, as 50 to 100 residential units per acre are permitted in the district. The residential buildings would have a maximum height of 120 feet, although a taller height is possible under conditions of a proffer.

Inside Nova noted that the development would happen in multiple phases and take an estimated 15 to 20 years for a complete buildout.

The Manassas Mall is within the Sudley Road Redevelopment Corridor, which Prince William County is aiming to get reinvestment to provide a vibrant mixed-use corridor. The vision for the corridor would include housing, neighborhood-serving businesses and hospitality uses, and a pedestrian-oriented area.

Manassas Mall dates back to 1972 and has seen turnover of anchor stores over the years. A county staff report noted that traditional malls are not as popular as decades ago. More successful malls today have adapted to provide more residential and mixed uses, according to the report.