Purchase Agreement For New Park Site Approved By Manassas Council

MANASSAS, VA — After the City of Manassas announced intent to buy the former Marsteller School property, City Council unanimously approved a purchase and sale agreement for the site Monday.

The city is purchasing the 20-acre site at 8760 Sudley Road, a property owned by Manassas Baptist Church since 2002, for $9.9 million to open its 21st park. Uses planned for the site are the city's first community center, fire station, athletic fields and open space.

"This is obviously a very exciting acquisition for the city," said Matt Arcieri, the Planning and Community Development director and assistant city manager, at Monday's meeting. "The city obviously is in great need of Parkland, and this does fill that option."

Arcieri said Manassas Baptist Church's congregation approved the sale on April 24. Under the agreement, Manassas Baptist Church will be allowed to keep certain uses on the property for three to five years as it renovates its existing church and moves its programs there.

Manassas Baptist Church's main building and surrounding six acres will not be affected by the city's purchase of the former Marsteller School. The church will continue to run its homeless shelter and will move other essential services to its main building.

Along with recreational facilities, the site will host a fire station, relocated from the existing Fire Station 1. The relocation aims to reduce fire and rescue wait times on the north side of the city and puts the fire station closer to the UVA Health Prince William Medical Center.

The next step for the city is to start making improvements to the property, according to Arcieri. The property has several usable recreational features — two diamond fields, a rectangular field and outdoor running track. The budget adopted by City Council Monday includes funding to improve the fields. The city hopes to make new outdoor facilities available in summer 2024.

"There's obviously, as this council well knows, that large need for rectangular and diamond fields in the community, so we're gonna immediately start making some of those improvements," said Arcieri.

Later in 2024, the city will plan community conversations to get feedback on what residents would like to see at the property. The community meetings would be held at the property to give residents a tour.

Feedback is being collected online as well. One of the most common requests so far from the community? Pickleball.

Residents can stay up to date on the city's plans for the former Marsteller School property on the city's website.