Manassas Park council bans firearms in city buildings, rezones Ivy Park and OKs RingCentral phone system

Manassas Park — The Manassas Park governing body on Oct. 21 adopted a new ordinance that prohibits the possession, carrying or transportation of firearms, ammunition and components in city-owned or -controlled buildings, approved a rezoning and associated waivers for the Ivy Park development, and authorized a contract to replace the municipal phone system.

The firearms ordinance, which includes standard exemptions for sworn law enforcement, military personnel acting in the scope of their duties and private security when performing contracted duties, was approved after council agreed to a three-tiered penalty structure and a one-year window between tiers. Council amended the ordinance’s delayed effective date during the meeting; the ordinance will take effect Jan. 1, 2026. The motion carried on a roll-call vote.

Vice Mayor Moore proposed a graduated fine scheme during debate, suggesting lower penalties for first-time, inadvertent violations and increasingly severe penalties for repeat offenses within a one-year period; council members discussed enforcement as complaint-driven rather than proactive screening. As presented in the meeting, the tiers discussed were a class 4 fine for a first offense, class 3 for a second offense and class 1 for a third or subsequent offense, with a one-year reset period between tiers.

Also on the agenda, the council approved rezoning application RZ-2025-01 for the Ivy Park project, moving the property from I-1 Industrial/PUD (planned unit development) to PUD residential subject to the applicant’s third submission and associated waiver requests. Applicant representative Janelle Cameron said the team added…