Major Manassas Mall Redevelopment Approved By Supervisors

MANASSAS, VA — A proposal to add residential and more retail uses on a portion of the Manassas Mall property received approval from the Prince William Board of County Supervisors Monday.

The approval rezones 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 calls for 1,041 multifamily residential units and about 47,036 square feet of commercial buildings on four land parcels. Developer Lionheart plans to add the mixed uses rather than demolish the existing mall. Parking structures, a bus stop, pedestrian infrastructure, bicycle parking are among the transportation elements planned.

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

The proposal received recommendations from the Prince William County Planning Commission and county staff. Supervisors voted 7-0 for the Manassas Mall proposal, with Supervisor Yesli Vega (R-Coles) absent from the vote.

Supervisor Tom Gordy (R-Brentsville), whose district the Manassas Mall is located in, noted it has been a years-long process to get the application submitted, revised and approved.

"They've really taken a lot of time to make sure that they've created the right type of environment here," said Gordy. "While this is in the Brentsville District, the Coles District and the Gainesville District are basically across the street. So this isn't just about the Brentsville District. This is about an area that is represented by three borders, and many of our constituents in the surrounding area will be affected here and I hope, in very positive ways."

Supervisor Kenny Boddye (D-Occoquan) stressed the need for not just residents of luxury apartments but units for people working at the mall too.

"I really want to emphasize that as we continue to look at other developments in this corridor and even other phases of this development, we think about and keep in mind the people that work there too," said Boddye. "Because when we're doing the right job, as [the applicant's attorney Mike Vanderpool] said at the outset, we're talking about bringing people in and not pushing people out. So as we continue to have luxury apartments, which is great, we need that [area median income] level, we're also going to need to have folks at some point living in this area that can walk to where they work in the mall."

Gordy noted that an 80-acre farm site owned by a data center company is adjacent to the mall property. The supervisor said he was having discussions with the landowner about future uses that could include affordable housing.

"We're not looking at this in isolation. We're looking at this whole area broadly and working each of the different pieces in this entire corridor," said Gordy. "So this is not a once and done. This is part of a bigger strategic plan, but this is step one that would generate, create the type of investment and energy to start drawing the things that we need to accomplish to reinvigorate the Sudley Corridor."

Supervisor Victor Angry (D-Neabsco) compared the project with the Quartz District in his district, noting that these areas have affordable homes but need a "facelift of real good quality" homes.

"I love to see that quality build that you're doing, because we can take care of that next piece of newer affordable units still in the same area of the project which makes a whole lot of sense because there's a lot of revitalization that can happen in that corridor, and it's very clear when you hear from residents who lived here their whole lives and know what it's looks like and what it's going to be reimagined to look like."

Supervisor Margaret Angela Franklin (D-Woodbridge) said developments like this happening around the county can help provide a "sense of place" for residents and visitors.

"We talk about development and how a lot of the development these days is actually happening in the west and it's simply because that's where a lot of the land is," said Franklin. "But this is a corddior that's actually been around that needs a makeover and a facelift and I think that this is a very good project to do so."

Chair Deshundra Jefferson called the Manassas Mall development "a project for the future."

"We need redevelopment in this county, and we need to reimagine older projects," said Jefferson. I like that it's transit oriented, and I think this will not just attract younger workers, but I've been reading a lot of articles about older people who may want to downsize who don't want that house anymore or who may want to be in a walkable community or want something that's a little more urbane."

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 a county staff report.

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