Planning Commission Waives Permit Fee for Clarke’s

The Manassas Park Planning Commission recommended on Monday the city waive a $1,600 Conditional Use Permit (CUP) fee that was charged to when the restaurant applied for live entertainment.

City Planner Vanessa Watson asked the panel to adopt the waiver after the restaurant threatened to rescind the CUP application because the fee was too high.

“The restaurant business is a very tough business with not a lot of (financial) room,” Watson said. Initially, Watson asked that the fee— which is supposed to reimburse the city for fire/safety services at businesses with live entertainment—be eliminated.

“We are a little city and we need to be really nurturing the businesses that we do have,” Watson said. “By doing this, it will go along way in keeping businesses here.”

However, the planning commission balked at eliminating the fee entirely. Commission Vice President Oscar Jamilla said he was in favor of a reduced fee structure, but didn’t want to abolish it. “Why can’t we charge something like 50 percent of what we charge now,” Jamilla said.

Watson noted that the fee was an undue burden on businesses that wanted to locate or expand in the city. And, there was scant evidence that businesses that had paid the fee were costing the city more for fire or police protection, Watson said.

Commissioner Bryan Polk noted that the amount of money generated by the fee pales in comparison to the ongoing need for a viable and vibrant business community.

On a 3-1 vote (Jamilla dissented), the panel passed a motion to waive the $1,600 fee for Clarke's and to suspend the fire/safety fee for two years while they further study the matter.

In other business, the panel also approved a 2013-2018 Capital Improvement Plan, which lists potential major projects for the city to consider. City Finance Directory Gary Fields reported that the city has a little more discretionary capital improvement money available next year because assessed property values have rebounded slightly.