Planning commission defers decision on Ivy Park townhomes after residents raise traffic, parking and notice concerns

On Aug. 13, 2025, the Manassas Park Planning Commission opened a public hearing on Ivy Park (rezoning application 2025‑01), a proposal to convert roughly 5.95 acres at the intersection of Manassas Drive and Digital Drive to a planned unit development for 86 townhomes.

Attorney Jonelle Cameron of Walsh Colucci presented the application on behalf of the applicant, K. Hovnanian Homes. She said the plan requests several zoning and public‑facilities waivers, would place 86 townhomes on the three‑parcel site, and include nine affordable units (about 10 percent of the total). The applicant proffered landscaping, a solid vinyl fence along the rear property line, five‑foot sidewalks on Manassas Drive and Digital Drive, and a commitment to underground an existing overhead utility line along the property frontage if required easements can be obtained. Cameron said the applicant initially proffered $1,887,000 and set aside $200,000 specifically for the undergrounding work; if the city must use eminent domain to obtain an easement, the applicant would reimburse the city for the costs of that process.

Planning staff and the applicant said the development would reduce vehicle trips compared with the site’s current industrial zoning and that the travelway widths (reduced from 30 feet to 26 feet by waiver) were reviewed with the fire marshal and found acceptable. The applicant also offered to add HOA covenant language to discourage conversion of garages to storage to improve on‑site parking availability.

Residents, however, pushed back on multiple fronts. William McAllister of Belmont Reserve told the commission that "only 2 or 3 people in my community received an initial notification" for a prior meeting and said many neighbors had insufficient time to analyze the proposal. Multiple speakers from Belmont Reserve, Palisades, Dominion Crossing and nearby neighborhoods described worry about parking adequacy, one‑way ingress/egress and emergency access, loss of tree canopy and potential stormwater impacts. A number of residents called for more time to study traffic impacts and water/utility capacity.

The applicant said notice had been mailed by certified mail to adjacent property owners more than five days before the hearing and that the team had conducted community outreach, including a broad mailing the applicant described as sent to roughly 506 residences and newspaper postings. In response to parking concerns, the applicant stated the parking plan provides 2.38 spaces per unit when garages are excluded, for 205 surface spaces, and 248 spaces if garages are counted as full spaces.

After discussion, commissioners agreed to defer action on Ivy Park to the commission’s Sept. 10, 2025 meeting so the applicant could respond in writing and in person to the concerns raised by residents and to provide follow‑up information on parking, utilities, easements and plantings.