City of Manassas Park VIRGINIA Comprehensive Plan November 2007 - Vision 2025 - Transforming Manassas Park from Virginia’s “Newest to the Best” Table of Contents Acknowledgements (ii) Vision Statement (iii) Chapter One: The Comprehensive Plan Process 1 Chapter Two: Regional Context and Historical Overview 6 Chapter Three: City History and Community Character 11 Chapter Four: Population and Housing 17 Chapter Five: Economic Development and Employment 23 Chapter Six: Parks and Recreation 34 Chapter Seven: Environment 47 Chapter Eight: Human Services 65 Chapter Nine: Education 71 Chapter Ten: Public Safety 89 Chapter Eleven: Land Use and Urban Design 99 Chapter Twelve: Transportation 116 Chapter Thirteen: Public Works 137 List of Figures 153 List of Tables 155 Glossary and Acronyms 156 Appendix A: Park Center Design Standards & Guidelines 163 ____________________________________________________________________ i ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS GOVERNING BODY PLANNING COMMISSION Frank Jones, Mayor Lawrence E. Ledbetter, Chairman Kevin Brendel, Vice Mayor Ed Rishell, Jr., Vice Chairman Michael Bunner Vera Au Cynthia Gardner Jesse Ludvigsen Bryan Polk Rebecca Villalpando Vonna Privett Oscar Jamilla Noreen Slater Former Members Former Members Lana Conner William Treuting, Mayor Tonya Mills I. Allen Correll Vonna Privett William Wren Matt Reynal Lenard Smith Steve Vogel CITIZENS CITY STAFF George Chichester Mercury Payton, City Manager Adam Cohen Laura Fitzpatrick, Deputy City Manager Michelle Cohen Will Armstrong, Planning Director Martha Collier John Evans, Police Chief Sharon Corbin Katherine Gammell, Public Works Director Sue DeBolt Stephanie Mehrenburg, Social Services Director Frances Embrey Catherine Moretta, Parks & Recreation Director Douglas Judd John O'Neal, Fire Chief Pat Kelly Dr. Tom DeBolt, School Superintendent Linda Lalande Dean Crowhurst, City Attorney Sridhar Samudrala Jay Johnson, City Engineer Sue Swansby Donna West Al White Carol White This plan was prepared cooperatively by members of the Manassas Park Planning Commission, City Staff, and Citizen Volunteers with facilitation services of Milton Herd, Herd Planning and Design ____________________________________________________________________ ii Vision Statement Manassas Park will be an attractive community with many tree-lined streets, a citywide system of sidewalks and parks, and revitalized, well- maintained neighborhoods. Transportation services will be safe, convenient and diverse, including a high capacity road system and commuter rail service. Diverse and vibrant shopping and employment areas will be convenient to neighborhoods, yet residential areas will be protected from industrial uses. The city will be socially unified and will retain its “small town” character, with a strong new “downtown” fostered by the new Park Center. High quality city services such as schools and public safety will be funded from a wide range of sources, including businesses, residents, and state and federal grants. The city will maintain strong regional ties to its neighboring jurisdictions, while maintaining a strong sense of identity and pride in its local community ____________________________________________________________________ iii Chapter One: THE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN PROCESS The Comprehensive Plan Process Comprehensive Plan Purpose thoroughly reviewed, at least once every five years, to determine whether amendments are warranted. The Code of Virginia requires each city’s Planning Commission to prepare Public Hearings & Adoption a Comprehensive Plan. The Comprehensive Plan should represent The Planning Commission may the community’s vision for the long- recommend the Comprehensive Plan, or range development of the city. parts of a plan, to the Governing Body after it has conducted a public hearing on This plan is to be based on careful it. The Governing Body then considers studies of existing conditions, trends of the plan, and, following a public hearing, growth and probable future may adopt the plan as submitted by the requirements of the community. The Planning Commission or amend it and plan will be a guide that can be used in then adopt it. The Code of Virginia states problem solving and improving the that the Comprehensive Plan… quality of life in the community. The Comprehensive Plan is required to be …shall be general in nature , in that it shall designate the general or approximate location, character, and extent of each feature shown on the plan and shall indicate where existing lands or facilities are proposed to be extended, widened, removed, relocated, vacated, narrowed, abandoned, or changed in use as the case may be. …shall include a transportation element that designates a system of transportation infrastructure needs and recommendations that shall include, as appropriate, but not be limited to, roadways, bicycle accommodations, pedestrian accommodations, railways, bridges, waterways, airports, ports, and public transportation facilities. The Virginia Department of Transportation shall, upon request, provide localities with technical assistance in preparing such transportation element. …with the accompanying maps, plats, charts, and descriptive matter, shall show the locality's long-range recommendations for the general development of the territory covered by the plan. It may include, but need not be limited to: 1. The designation of areas for various types of public and private development and use, such as different kinds of residential, including age-restricted, housing; business; industrial; agricultural; mineral resources; conservation; recreation; public service; flood plain and drainage; and other areas; 2. The designation of a system of community service facilities such as parks, forests, schools, playgrounds, public buildings and institutions, hospitals, nursing homes, assisted living facilities, community centers, waterworks, sewage disposal or waste disposal areas, and the like; 3. The designation of historical areas and areas for urban renewal or other treatment; 4. The designation of areas for the implementation of reasonable ground water protection measures; 5. An official map, a capital improvements program, a subdivision ordinance, a zoning ordinance and zoning district maps, mineral resource district maps and agricultural and forestal district maps, where applicable; 6. The location of existing or proposed recycling centers; and 7. The location of military bases, military installations, and military airports and their adjacent safety areas. …shall include: the designation of areas and implementation of measures for the construction, rehabilitation and maintenance of affordable housing, which is sufficient to meet the current and future needs of residents of all levels of income in the locality while considering the current and future needs of the planning district within which the locality is situated. _________________________________________________________________ 1 Chapter One: THE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN PROCESS Overview Steering Committee The Steering Committee was The City of Manassas Park’s comprised of the Planning Director, previous Comprehensive Plan was the Chairman and Vice Chairman of adopted in 1984, with major the Planning Commission and the amendments adopted in 1990. The planning consultant. The Steering City has periodically amended the Committee was responsible for plan to accommodate land use providing overall guidance changes and development needs. throughout the process. These changes have, for the most part, worked well with existing land Technical Committee use designations. However, with very few developable parcels The Technical Committee was remaining in the city, each land use comprised of the Steering decision has proved to be more Committee, Focus Group Leaders, challenging during the last few years. and members of the city staff, as appropriate. The Technical Committee was responsible for the Vision 2025 – formulation of the updated Comprehensive Plan. Transforming Manassas Park from Virginia’s Focus Groups “Newest to the Best” The Focus Groups were each Citizens in Action comprised of a lead, who was a member of the Planning Commission, a city staff representative, and citizen volunteers he City of Manassas Park is not T who were interested in that particular just the Governing Body, the topic area. Focus Groups were Planning Commission, and city staff formed to examine eight key areas: but, more importantly, it is the residents. With this in mind, when Education the need to update the Environment Comprehensive Plan was identified Human Services the Governing Body allocated funding for hiring a planning Land Use & Urban Design consultant to facilitate the updating Parks & Recreation of the plan by the citizens. The Public Safety process was to be led by a Steering Public Works Committee and backed by a Transportation Technical Committee and eight defined Focus Groups. _________________________________________________________________ 2 Chapter One: THE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN PROCESS A Collaborative Process Forty-three interested people attended the Town Hall Meeting; they consisted of members of the Governing Body, the Planning The process of updating the Commission, city staff, consultants, Comprehensive Plan spanned 27 and most importantly – 16 citizens. months, beginning with the release of a Request for Proposals for Focus Group Meetings selecting a consultant to final adoption by the Governing Body. Highlights of citizen involvement Each Focus Group met were: independently throughout the process, usually once