New Parking Garage Supports Manassas Park VRE Station, Downtown

MANASSAS PARK, VA — One of the Virginia Railway Express stations on the Manassas Line has gotten a boost in parking for commuters and downtown visitors.

Officials from VRE, Manassas Park, Manassas, the state and region gathered at the Manassas Park station Tuesday to unveil the new 740-space parking garage. The garage is next to Park Central, the revitalized downtown hub in Manassas Park, on city-owned property across from the railroad tracks. It supplements an existing 600-space parking lot at the VRE station.

The new Manassas Park Parking Garage supplements the existing 600-space parking lot at VRE’s Manassas Park station. The garage was developed on City-owned property located across from the former Norfolk Southern, now VPRA, railroad tracks near City Hall, in a unique partnership with the City of Manassas Park that leases land to VRE for $1 per year.

"This project is a significant milestone in the City of Manassas Park’s revitalized downtown," said Alanna Mensing, City of Manassas Park mayor and VRE Operations Board member. "When you look around the surrounding area, this new garage fits right into the mosaic of a thriving economic hub that meets the diverse needs of our community."

The new parking garage is a result of a 2017 VRE study on the need to upgrade parking infrastructure the Manassas Park station. Of the 740 spaces, 200 are reserved for City of Manassas Park employees, and 540 spaces are for VRE riders and visitors.

The Park Central area near the parking garage is a mixed-use development with the newly constructed Manassas Park City Hall and Library. The Villages at Manassas Park will bring hundreds of new townhomes near the garage as well.

The parking garage project received funding from I-66 Outside the Beltway Express Lane operator I-66 Express Mobility Partners, the state, the Northern Virginia Transportation Authority, the I-66 Commuter Choice program, the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation, and the City of Manassas Park.

"When we identify existing transit corridors heavily utilized by residents, like that of the VRE’s, we can leverage the surrounding area to connect community members to jobs, retail, and other needs that attract talent to our region, reduce roadway congestion, and support our overall economy," said Kate Mattice, executive director of the Northern Virginia Transportation Commission that oversees the Commuter Choice program.