when we grow up? “We” is, of course, Manassas. In my short time on council, I’ve looked at many of the plans and schemes that the City has come up with over the years to advance our shared interests. The plans that I have seen aren’t bad but I do believe that they all share the same weak point: we haven’t really decided what we want to be. We don’t have a firm idea of the image that we want to convey to others – and image is everything. Depending on what document you read we want to be artsy or quirky or family-oriented or some other adjective but nobody has ever selected one (or more) and figured out exactly what that means.
This is what I would like to spend a fair amount of time on this summer. We need to arrive at an image for old town that we can then advance. If it is to be an Arts & Entertainment district (for example) then we need to figure out what that really looks like (restaurants? Art Galleries? Antique shops? what exactly!!) and how we get there. There has been an aweful lot of talk of late about Economic Development (a lot of it from me…:) and I’ve come to the conclusion that until the leadership takes this top level decision that we just can’t get very far forward. This is really part of Manassas Next and this crucial discussion was part and parcel of that initiative.
So, the question is to you: what should Old Town and, by extension, the rest of Manassas mean to the world? What carefully considered image should we project?
What kind of stuff would you like to see in Old Town in the near future and the rest of Manassas as time goes by?
June 18, 2008 at 9:19 pm
Andy, your questions are good questions. I don’t have a good call on where to go, but I do believe that a good starting point in figuring that out is to assess our strengths.
Realistically, we are not now and will not become Georgetown, Reston Town Center or Old Town Alexandria. The sooner we realize that, the better.
What we are is a decent small town where people know each other and say hello; where good folks freely speak and worship; where children can get a good education; where a small vegetable garden can be grown; where the housing stock is decent and affordable; where there are transportation options. With respect to these measures we are doing pretty darn well. These are qualities we can promote: Manassas, a real town you can live in.
In-town housing, like the Van Metre project, is important. A resulting critical mass of people in old town will support in-town shops that cannot survive solely on weekend traffic.
In an era of escalating energy costs (that will not end) our VRE access — already important — will become an even more important resource for Manassas. We somehow need to further exploit that resource for the town’s benefit. There are areas in old town that are near the train but are now effectively unused.
We need someone who is really skilled (and we must pay for it) in knowing how to attract businesses interested in relocating here. That person is the most important person the city can hire. In effect, that person is the city’s “sales force.” Without a good sales force, the product (Manassas) doesn’t get effectively sold.
I sure hope some of what I’ve said is helpful. Even if the points themselves lack merit, I hope they at least serve as a catalyst to help crystallize your thoughts and the thoughts of others.
June 18, 2008 at 9:37 pm
I just re-read my above post and realize that I didn’t really address your question, although I moved all around and close to it. So now I’ll give it another try. The image we can project to the outside world is that of a good small town where you can affordably live in (or have immediate access to) a historic “old town” community. Our town has a positive aesthetic. We are not an expensive town (at least not when compared with the rest of the region). A more vibrant arts scene would enhance our image. We could probably have a smaller version of Alexandria’s torpedo factory. We should exploit our physical proximity to GMU and the center for the arts. Well, I still don’t feel I did a good job of answering your Q.
June 19, 2008 at 10:00 am
Andy,
Remember back when we both served on the City Future’s Task Force? Remember how miffed I would get when the facilitator kept throwing around the word “progressive”? If the word is used to describe “progress”, great, but we have to define what “progress” is. I think it became clear as we “progressed” that the work done previously to the task force’s formation was vague and lacked direction. The sense I got from the intitial plans were “We want to be Fairfax-lite”. As you know this was pretty much rejected by the task-force. Why would someone want to live in Manassas if our message is “Manassas: Almost Fairfax”. Also, I have to wonder, why so few of our final reccomendations have been implemented?
I agree that we have to figure out what we want to be. However, to arrive at this “vision”, “we” being Manassas, will have to decide this through committee. I fear we will end up with a “camel”. A “camel” is a “race-horse” designed by a committee. What we need here is bold leadership.
I think your Manassas Next concept is a great start. I think you should communicate the vision as far and wide as possible, and then say ” if this is the future of Manassas that you want, follow me”. Of course you will and should continue to seek public input. This is what wise leaders do. However, there comes a time when decisions need to be made, and those decisions must be made by the fewest number of people possible. To do otherwise will lead to nothing being done.
I also agree 100% with Rich’s comments on the need for a “sales force”. Community development is tasked to execute on the vision it is handed, not vice versa. I see some potential with the housing developments near old-town, and the parking garage, which will help make the old town area attractive to shops and businesses, and there is space to be had. More restaurants, and places attractive to young couples and professional singles would help further develop a desireable night-life and appeal to those who would be living in the new housing. I’ll also second his comments on the “small town America” ideal we need to portray. This is very attractive to families. The farmers market, family friendly events at the pavillion on weekends and the like help foster the “small town America” image. But I am not telling you anything that you don’t already know.
June 19, 2008 at 11:31 am
Andy, keep it up with Manassas Next. Keep the discussion flowing and encourage community input through your blog — perhaps conduct a few public meetings for Manassas Next. It seems the City Future’s Task Force asked all those questions and came up with recommendations. Perhaps you already incorporated those outcomes in your plans for the future of the City. I think we should be cautious about a top-down approach because it might miss the mark of what the citizens would like to see in Manassas. But if you already have that input …
Each resident has his own story to tell …
Why do I like Manassas and want to stay here?
1) Access to government. You can get a lot more accomplished in a City of 35,000 when you have a concern. Our church in PWC is dealing with a 2-year permitting process where the rules seem to change depending on who’s on duty in the inspections. We have … what … 100 full-time employees for all City services. A lean operation.
2) Public schools — our daughter has great special ed teachers and we choose to stay here because of that.
3) All the basic needs are here in the City. You don’t have to drive all around.
4) Proximity to VRE. I walk to the Station to take VRE. Awesome.
5) More stable community than a lot of the new developments in PWC — I would imagine there are more long-term residents here in the City per capita than in PWC. Plus Manassas is for the most part solidly middle-class — we don’t have the high extremes in income level that creates tension about what to do with City public funds.
For me, I’d like to see the City hype these benefits and enhance them.
Lastly, Andy, I know I’ve mentioned this to you before: we’ve got to be more aggressive with the 9500 Liberty Street sign. I know the City is acting cautiously here because of a fear of lawsuit. But as you mentioned — “image is everything.” It doesn’t matter what we want for the City’s future, if there is the PERCEPTION that most of the people must follow the laws while some can openly flaunt them with impunity.
June 19, 2008 at 11:59 am
I meant to say “300” FTEs, if you exclude the police and all school employees, perhaps 100 if you just count those City Hall staff who interact with residents.
June 19, 2008 at 12:42 pm
Andy,
We have alot going for us in Manassas. Arts & Entertainment district, affordable housing, good schools, VRE, new downtown parking. When the Performing Arts Center at GMU opens we will get a big influx of visitors to the area as well as needed advertising. Let’s not foreget that we are also a Civil War town. To try to pin ourselves down to one specific identity may be a mistake. I believe we are more of a SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE type of town. You might want to consider this approach as you move foreward with Manassas Next.
June 19, 2008 at 1:24 pm
“There are more people wanting to use transit here than we have
experienced in our suburban history,” County Executive
Craig S. Gerhart said. “This creates a different approach for what
Prince William ought to be. There couldn’t be a better collision
of events for you to tackle the vision and answer the question,
“What should Prince William look like?”
Washington Post
PW Extra (June 19, 2008)
Prince William County is the “elephant in the room” and we should
work in concert with them whenever it serves our mutual interest.
Mass transit promises to be a key focus for both of us in the very
near future – ironic that the railroad that helped found Manassas
150 years ago is once again playing a key transit role.
(FYI – The public is invited to attend the ribbon cutting ceremony
of the Manassas/VRE parking deck on June 26th at 11:00am.)
These are interesting times.
June 19, 2008 at 7:59 pm
I think Manassas is just fine. I like the fact we have a small town feel and there are plenty of attractions for families. If anything, we should do a better job of marketing our history
One does not think of history when it comes to Old Town Alexandria, even though it does have plenty of it. Why? Because the “progressive” folks who run the City think history is not good enough for the jet set crowd, so they down play it. Let the snobs, and uppity folks stay in Old Town Alexandria, Georgetown, etc. Manassas has a friendly attitude that is not found in Old Town Alexandria or Georgetown, exactly because those areas have lost their innocence so to speak and forsaken folksy for what is deemed to be trendy.
At least for the folks I know who come from out of town, they enjoy visiting Old Town and appreciate the mix of old and new we have now. I think
June 20, 2008 at 12:14 pm
Often important news isn’t on the front page – refer you to A5 of
today’s MJM.
– Buried at the bottom of the page is a short story headlined
“Metro logs high ridership days; 823 riders logged” – read on
and the number was 823 THOUSAND people taking Metro on
Wednesday – the system’s sixth-highest ridership day- Tuesday
was the tenth-highest. “Metro officials have been bracing for a spike
in the number of passengers, as gas prices continue to climb.”
Imagine the growth on our VRE and the commuter bus system have
also surged.
– An ad on the same page is for Somer Hill Farms in Gainesville
“Luxury Condos in DC’s Best New Suburb” touting an
“Easy commute to Washington, DC”. Sure. Beam them up, Scottie.
-Now is the time to boost our mass transit systems in every way we
can to foster, safe, reliable, comfortable and comparatively
affordable service to and from the Manassas area. The Old Town
parking garage opening next week is part of this dynamic as is
supporting more and better equipment and service on our bus
and train lines.
-Encourage win-win projects like the approved Van Metre development
that will benefit from Manassas being a transportation hub – the
real “easy commute”. And those residents will also help Old Town
business reach the “critical mass” it needs to flourish and grow.
-Just as MPG has become the major factor in the auto industry as
company’s scramble to adapt, mass transit promises to change
decisions on where to live and work for millions of American.
June 23, 2008 at 9:52 pm
One other item I did not remember to add when I made my post, was the new shopping centers that are going up on Liberia Ave. I’m all for new development. However, exactly how many dry cleaners and nail salons do we need in the City? By my count, there are now three dry cleaners and two nail salons on Liberia alone. I hate to see what is going to show up in the new shopping center on Dumfries road behind the Exxon station.
Oh, and open up Lake Manassas, so that we, the Citizens and tax payers of the City can enjoy our lake.
The excuses used by the City to keep the lake closed are just that.
August 21, 2008 at 11:22 am
What Manassas are you people looking at? For all your descriptions, you’d think you were living in Utopia. That’s not the Manassas I see. I see a congested, dirty, overpopulated area. Where are you all at???? Not trying to be rude, but I do not see any of what you’re talking about.