City Council Approves New Bar and Billiards

Manassas Park City Council Voted 5-1 Tuesday in favor of the Conditional Use Permit (CUP) for the proposed new business The Point Bar and Billiards which is slated to open next month.  

 Councilmen Suhas Naddoni, Brian Leeper, Bryan Polk, Bill Treuting and Kevin Miller all voted in favor of the permit, while Councilman Preston Banks voted against the permit.  Mayor Frank Jones was absent from the meeting because of a business trip.

 “I’m going to have to nay it,” Banks said Tuesday. “I think we need to bring business here, but to me, this doesn’t seem family friendly or community friendly for our community. And I think the dangers outweigh some of the benefits.”

 City and planning commission staff said the particular parcel where The Point will locate in the Manassas Shopping Center does have, “history.”

 Staff said the parcel has been home to three tenants in the past four years.

 Residents were invited to air their opinions during a public hearing  Tuesday evening on the matter, but no one showed up to address the governing body.

There was much discussion among council and staff during the meeting about the proposed business’ façade and the three windows across the front.

 The conditions set forth by the city require the owners, Cesar Florero and brothers Elvis and Roy Reynolds, to work with the landlords of the building to: 1. Remove the artificial wall facing the parking along Centreville Road, so that it is a window wall  or, 2. Increase the size of the three windows in the wall by at least 30 percent.

 If they can’t reach an agreement with the landlord within 120 days, then The Point owners have to write a letter to the city’s planning director, explaining why the landlord denied  their request for alterations.

 The city wants the front of the building to be altered for crime prevention purposes.

 A 6-foot tall person must be able to see into the building from the parking lot and there can be no signage or anything else placed in the window to obstruct the view.

 The owners said they will have security guards on the premises and part of their responsibilities will be checking identification after 5 p.m. People under 18 won’t be allowed in the establishment after that time and those who are already inside will have to leave.

 The Point will operate as a club from 9 p.m. to 2 a.m. city staff said at a planning commission meeting earlier this month.

 The Point will have a kitchen, a restaurant, a dance area, a disc jockey booth and an area for live entertainment. The establishment will also have a bar area and eight billiard tables.

 The owners told city staff and council they intend to place tables and chairs on the sidewalk during the day for patrons, but patio seating would cease after a certain time in the evening.

 After Banks asked about maximum occupancy, planning director Vanessa Watson explained that the city’s fire marshal will determine how many people can be in the establishment at once and will post that number inside.

 If the owners exceed that number, then they run the risk of being shut down by the fire marshal, Watson said.

 Some councilmen wished the owners of The Point much success in their business.

“Best wishes. We are glad to have you as part of the city,” Vice Mayor Polk said just before the motion carried.

The owners said this is their first business venture.