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Manassas council accepts PPEA submission for proposed hotel, parking deck and sale of Mifco site; acceptance does not commit city funding
Summary
The council accepted an unsolicited PPEA proposal from a private developer for development of the Old Town Inn site, a downtown parking deck and purchase of the recently acquired Mifco property; acceptance starts public notice and a 45‑day window for competing proposals and is not a contract or funding commitment.
The Manassas City Council on Sept. 22 accepted a private party’s unsolicited proposal under the Public‑Private Education Facilities and Infrastructure Act (PPEA) for development of three city‑owned properties: the former Old Town Inn site, the City Hall surface parking lot (for a downtown parking deck) and the recently acquired Mifco property.
City staff and attorneys repeatedly told the council that acceptance of the proposal is an administrative step that triggers public notice and a formal review process, but does not bind the city to a contract, a sale or any capital commitment. The proposal indicates the private developer would build a hotel on the Old Town Inn site, construct a parking deck to support downtown activity and purchase the residual Mifco property, but concrete financing or construction commitments were not part of the acceptance vote.
Under the PPEA steps described at the meeting, if the council accepts a proposal it must post the proposal publicly (within 10 business days), publish notice in a local newspaper and accept competing proposals for a 45‑day window from publication. After the conceptual stage the city may invite proposals into a detailed stage that requires more complete technical and financial information. The PPEA process also requires a public hearing at least 30 days before execution of any interim or comprehensive agreement.
City staff emphasized the timeline and that the city may reject proposals at any time. City legal staff and the city manager reiterated that accepting the submission does not constitute approval of a sale or of project financing. The council voted to accept the submission under the PPEA guidelines: the motion was offered by Councilmember Ocina and seconded by Councilmember Vasquez Luna; the roll call recorded yes votes from Councilmembers Ocina, Vasquez Luna, Ellis, Smith and Hudson and the motion carried.
Staff said public notice is expected to begin the week of Sept. 25; a 45‑day window for competing proposals would follow published notice. The council may later decide to advance one or more proposals to the detailed review stage and hold required public hearings before any agreement is executed.
