Residents speak out: Carmello’s should be allowed to keep the white brick

Manassas residents lined up to speak in favor of Carmello’s and Mozna, two restaurants of the same owner in Downtown Manassas that came under fire late last month for improvements it made to its building.

A petition with at least 300 signatures of city residents was presented to the city council on December 9. It urged leaders to reverse the council’s decision to require the restaurant to change the color of its brick facade on the front of the restaurant from a Mediterianian-style white to red brick, to match the other buildings in the downtown area.

The owner of the restaurants, Alice Perez, has until the end of the month to remove the white brick, black shutters, and chair railing along the wall — all of which go against the city’s strict design standards — or face fines imposed by the city.

“It’s nothing personal, it’s just business,” said Kate Finley, of Gainesville, whose husband is a shop owner in Manassas. “But everything about this should be personal.” 

It’s the small businesses that provide a personal connection to visitors that make people want to come back, she added. 

Other residents argued the city should have reached a compromise similar to the one Councilwoman Theresa Coates Ellis suggested, which would have allowed the restaurant to keep the white brick in exchange for removing the chair railing.

Others said that Perez — whose been in business at the same location since the late 1980s — has contributed much to the town, including appearing on local TV stations to promote the restaurant and city events like its monthly First Friday celebrations.

Many compared the facade upgrades at Carmello’s and Monza to the coming Battle Street Bistro, which will be located across the street from Monza and will be the first restaurant in the downtown area with a rooftop terrace. Multiple speakers said plans appear to show it will also have a new, more modern design.

The city council’s vote upheld an earlier ruling from the city’s Architectural Review Board that also ordered Perez to replace the white brick with red.