Parking deck could be built at city center, not Manassas Park VRE as originally planned

Manassas Park sees a new library, and now a new parking garage for the city’s envisioned downtown development.

A new garage would provide at least 500 more parking spaces needed at the Manassas Park VRE station. The new spaces would be in addition to the 600 spaces already in use at the station on weekdays.

A cost analysis, as well as design work on the new structure, is nearly complete. Construction of the $25.4 million garages should begin later this year and will be completed by 2022, according to VRE.

A year later, city leaders say a newly constructed library will open in the city center area. That library will replace a new transitional neighborhood library at Blooms Park (the old Generals Ridge Golf Course) that is slated to open this summer.

The new transitional library comes as the city decided to leave the Prince William County Public Libary System.

While a new garage would add to the number of parking spaces in the area, city leaders still need to decide where exactly to put the new structure. Originally the building was to be located at VRE station.

However, Potomac Local News has learned Manassas Park has been negotiating for a new location closer to the City Center, about a half-mile from the commuter rail station. City Manager Laszlo Palko says VRE riders would park their cars and then walk on a bridge from the third level of the parking garage to access the train station.

The suggested move comes as the city is planning to redevelop the City Center area to attract new business and residential opportunities in a bid to improve the city’s economy.

The area is currently home to the Parq 170 apartment complex, which turns 10 this year. However, the street-level retail that sits underneath the apartments is empty, despite being located on Manassas Drive, one of the busiest streets in the city.

While some say Manassas Drive doesn’t see enough vehicle traffic to turn the heads of would-be retailers who would locate there, city officials blame the lack of retail interest on a lack of parking. A VRE parking garage would change that, they say.

“All VRE lots are public, so drivers other than VRE commuters may use them,” said Karen Finucan Clarkson, VRE spokeswoman. “That said, we expect VRE riders to have priority at those parking lots and structures. This is usually not a problem in that, due to our train schedules, VRE passengers park their vehicles early in the morning.

The first train leaves Manassas Park at 5:15 am and the last train in the evening drops off its passengers just before 8 p.m. In neighboring Manassas City, which already has a parking garage next to its downtown VRE station, as afternoon commuters get off the train and into their cars, that frees up parking spaces for those who come for a taste of that city’s burgeoning nightlife scene.

Funding from the Northern Virginia Transportation Authority is being used to design the garage, Palko said. Elected leaders on the Manassas Park Governing Body is expected to discuss the new parking garage in May.

Manassas Park has big plans for the next three years. Last month, city officials said a new library also to be located in the city center will open by 2023.