Manassas officials tout data center, Micron and workforce investments as economic wins; hotel and Old Town projects move forward

Manassas City Economic Development officials told the City Council on Jan. 27 that several large private investments and new programs are poised to expand the city’s tax base and workforce training pipeline.

The report from Patrick Small, director of economic development, said multiple data‑center projects already under construction and an additional Amazon Web Services building will together produce substantial annual revenues for the city without council incentives. Small gave a revenue range of roughly $4 million to $6 million per major data center and said the city did not offer financial inducements to attract the facilities.

The presentation also previewed a 100‑plus room Home2 Suites extended‑stay hotel planned at the Landing at Cannon Branch, a development Small said represents about $20 million in investment, 50 jobs and nearly $2 million in new real‑estate tax revenue to date. Small said the Landing project has generated more than $16 million in municipal land sales, about $500,000 in new lodging taxes and will provide continuing revenues when completed.

Why it matters: Economic development revenue affects the city’s ability to fund services and capital projects. Small told council that new data centers and industrial projects could add “somewhere between $4 and $6 million annually” per building, income that helps explain recent high bond ratings and supports city priorities such as streetscapes and parking decks.

Most important details - Data centers: Small showed four sites active for data‑center development and described AWS and other tenants who are building or equipping servers. He said the city requires standard technical and aesthetic reviews—noise, height and architectural standards—and that those requirements matched proposed state and regional regulations. No municipal incentives were used to secure these facilities, he said. - Micron: Small reported continued Micron investment in the community, referencing a 2018 expansion of roughly $3 billion and a more recent announcement of about $2 billion in additional capital. - Landing at Cannon Branch: The EDA and city recorded significant land‑sale proceeds from the Cannon Branch project; Small said the site is entitled for about 225 multifamily units and council expressed openness at its retreat to relocating some of those units elsewhere in the development. - Old Town Inn / Mifco and parking: Small said progress on Old Town Inn redevelopment has been limited by parking constraints; council directed staff at the retreat to issue an RFP and to pursue coordinated development that could include a parking deck on the City Hall lot. - Workforce programs: Grow Manassas (a local workforce program) will fully underwrite two‑year nursing degrees at Northern Virginia Community College for city residents who are admitted; UVA Health agreed to cover 50% of tuition and Grow Manassas will cover the remainder. Small said the city will not require recipients to work for UVA Health but that internships and recruitment opportunities will be available.

Council and staff emphasized that the city’s sales, meals and property tax gains derive from these private investments and from tourism supported by downtown events. Small also highlighted facade and landscape grant programs that leverage private investment: the program has made $656,000 in grants over eight years and produced nearly $5.9 million in private sector improvements.

What council members asked and emphasized Council members pressed staff to publicize workforce‑training successes and recommended using newsletters and outreach to increase program participation. Vice Mayor Wolf and others said Grow Manassas could be a national model; council members asked for Spanish‑language marketing for grant and workforce programs and clarification on how businesses and entrepreneurs can contact the economic development office.

Context and next steps Small said the council directed staff at the retreat to pursue development options for the Old Town Inn site and to issue an RFP if partners did not present a coordinated plan soon. He invited developers to contact the department about apartment or mixed‑use projects that would include some attainable housing. He also noted the department’s role in tourism promotion and the recently released tourism video funded in part by ARPA.

Ending Staff offered to follow up with more details on public outreach in Spanish, specific timelines on the Cannon Branch subdivision and a briefing for council on expected annual tax revenues once data‑center equipping is complete.