Manassas council approves Pathway Vineyard Church special-use permit with parking notice requirement

The Manassas City Council on March 10 approved a special-use permit allowing Pathway Vineyard Church to use the building at 9329 Main Street as a place of assembly, with conditions including a requirement that any permits or leases include a notice identifying nearby parking.

Staff told the council the building, originally constructed as the Manassas Presbyterian Church circa 1875 and later used as restaurant and office space, can accommodate a congregation with a worship space of up to 150 people and sits on a 0.43-acre property in the downtown character area. Planning staff and the Planning Commission recommended approval with nine conditions addressing occupancy, on-site pick-up/drop-off, lighting, exterior sound systems and abatement of existing property violations.

The permit decision followed public comment from neighbors concerned about parking. Diane Lane, a Bull Run Unitarian Universalist member who lives in the area, urged the council to require clear notice for congregants about off-site parking options. “The traffic study mentioned is flawed,” Lane said, urging a requirement that attendees be told where to park to minimize impacts on neighboring residential streets.

Vice Mayor Wolf proposed and the council adopted an amendment — matching language already used in a nearby church’s permit — requiring that “a notice identifying parking near the facility shall be included on all permits and leases.” The motion to approve the special-use permit with that proviso passed on a 5-0 roll call (Vice Mayor Wolf, Council members Vasquez Luna, Smith, Ocina and Hudson voting yes).

Applicant representatives told the council the church’s current attendance ranges from about 40 to 65 people and that services are expected Sundays at 10 a.m. They said initial accessibility work will add a ramp from the parking lot to a rear entrance; longer-term interior work and an elevator would require separate approvals from the Architectural Review Board and building-permit process. The applicant also proposed bike racks and said pick-up and drop-off will occur on site.

Key conditions included limiting the use to a place of assembly for 50 or more persons with occupancy to conform to the building code; compliance with the approved special-use plan; on-site drop-off and pick-up; downshielded lighting; prohibition on an exterior public-address or bell system; abatement of existing property code violations; and an approved certificate of occupancy and building permits prior to occupying the premises.

Council members and residents discussed parking supply in downtown, noting a 22-space on-site lot and nearby public parking including the city-hall lot and a multilevel parking garage a few blocks away. Several residents and Bull Run Unitarian Universalist members urged a prominent notice directing visitors to those public parking facilities to reduce spillover onto adjacent residential streets. The council’s adopted proviso addresses that request by requiring the notice language in permits and leases.

The approval returns the property to a church use after a period of vacancy following restaurant and office uses.