City Council Approves EMSI's Plan for Lot Behind City Center

Manassas Park City Council has approved EMSI's conceptual master plan for the development of eight city-owned acres of land behind City Center that extends to Euclid Avenue.

EMSI presented two plans to city council: one of them included a 20,000 square foot office building with 40 parking spaces for City Center, Manassas Park city attorney Dean Crowhurst said.

The second, which the city selected, has 45,000 square feet of office space, but not the 40 parking spaces, he added.

The space for parking would be used for the extra square footage of office space.

 The council approved the plan Dec. 8, just weeks after EMSI presented a plan to the body that showed only four of the eight acres developed.

Council discussed the EMSI plan at their Nov. 13 meeting.

The partially developed plan showed a footprint of a building with 20,000 square feet of office space, 76 residential units above the offices and a daycare facility on the four acres closest to City Center.

The four acres closest to Euclid Avenue were now shown developed because the company is negotiating with other companies about what will be built there, according to city documents. 

Several councilmen said they were concerned that only half of the eight acres were showed developed, because it could mean that the other half would never be developed.

Instead of accepting the incomplete plan, council voted to extend the deadline for accepting the master plan until Dec. 18.

EMSI ended up changing the plan before that date, leading to the plan's approval Dec. 8 by council.

The city hopes the eight-acre development will be a step toward developing the city’s downtown district.

EMSI hopes to break ground in the summer of 2013, but there are still many steps before it comes to that point, Crowhurst said.

The city still has to officially sell the land to EMSI, among other things, he said.

City council will likely hold a work session in early 2013 to discuss its plans with EMSI’s sister company, where Railroad Dentistry, ABC123 Little Learners Academy and PWC Entertainment is located.