Manassas Airport, Old Towne Inn: State Of The City Presented By Manassas Mayor

MANASSAS, VA — Manassas City Council got a glimpse into the last year in a State of the City video presented Monday night by Mayor Michelle Davis-Younger.

"It does show the work that this council has done, and we've been busy, and we have worked hard," said Davis-Younger. "And it's not going to stop. It's only going to get better."

The year 2023 marked the 150th anniversary of Manassas, founded in 1873 as a town in Prince William County and now an independent city since 1975. The city celebrated the anniversary with special activities, events, recognitions. Davis-Younger said notable events like world wars and desegregation have shaped Manassas over the last 150 years, as well as local actions like the acquisition of Lake Manassas to supply drinking water, the creation of the Manassas Regional Airport and the opening of IBM.

On the economic side, the mayor said major employers like Micron, Lockheed Martin, BAE Systems and Prince William Medical Center (now owned by UVA Health) continue providing jobs and contributing to the city's tax base.

Davis-Younger said Manassas ended the year with a 2.3 percent unemployment rate, which is lower than the Virginia and U.S. average. Meanwhile, median household income and house values have increased.

In 2023, the city acquired and demolished the vacant Old Towne Inn. The city will work with the community on plans to rebuild it into a new long-term use.

"Our community has long desired that the Inn be replaced with a new and modern hotel," said Davis-Younger. "This was also a personal goal of mine as your mayor."

Another major milestone was the city signing a deal to introduce commercial air service at Manassas Regional Airport.

"In the near future, you will be able to fly from Manassas to select destinations without having to travel to BWI, Dulles or National," said Davis-Younger. "While our airport has historically been the busiest general aviation airport in Virginia and is owned by the city, and it generates revenue instead of costing taxpayers money, and it has a huge economic impact on the city and region…now it will serve as a terminal the general public can use for air travel."

Other city accomplishments highlighted in the State of the City were the opening of the John D. Connor III Public Safety facility for police, fire and IT, renovating and expanding the Manassas Museum with a space for parks, culture and recreational staff, preserved open space on the museum lawn, renovating City Hall with a planned opening in spring 2024.

The mayor said the city continues to work on improving parks and recreation, improving Harris Pavilion programming, investing in Liberia and Annenberg, building multi-use and multimodal paths, maintaining and improving parks, building new fields and facilities for recreational use.

On the transportation side, the city completed its widening of Route 28 while Prince William County and Fairfax County are working on their own Route 28 projects, widened and renovated Dean Drive, improved multimodal paths, completed streetscape projects. The city is planning reconstruction and improvement of Mathis Avenue and Sudley Road, has funding for repaving and more commercial streetscape work and is expanding resources to maintain stormwater facilities.

To stay engaged with the city, Davis-Younger encouraged residents to read the city's monthly newsletter, visit City Council meetings, bookmark the city's website and contact officials when needed.