Comments on: Manassas Park Throws A Hail Mary

By: I want less traffic

I want less traffic — Tue, 20 Nov 2007 05:13:47 +0000

Everyone is entitled to their own opinions, but not their own facts. There are 6,200 DoD jobs to be relocated, not 6,200 housing units. It would be just as accurate to say that Columbus discovered the new world in the year 2984 A.D. (For the record, 2984 is twice as much as 1492.)

Each government job usually creates 2 civilian support jobs, and most of us in the D.C. area owe our living to this relationship. So 6,200 DoD jobs are estimated to create up to 20,000 total jobs at a mass transit hub.

Studies show that by locating offices on a Metro stop, half of these 20,000 workers quit driving and use mass transit. Many more would walk to work from 3,000 housing units on site at the town center. Assuming two workers per home, that leaves only 4,000 cars to “reverse commute” to work.

Any way you cut it, 20,000 cars are taken off the rush hour side of the road and 4,000 cars are put on the empty side of the road. Unless you’re someone who enjoy gridlock, every commuter is better off with these cars removed.

Right now the VRE train loads up with suburban commuters in the morning and takes them into D.C. Then the empty train drives back to the suburbs for another load of commuters. Why not fill this train both ways by putting employment around suburban train stations? The proposal estimates that the extra ticket sales will eliminate $300 million of VRE subsidies. Every taxpayer is better off.

Finally, the site is proposed to be the highest (Platinum) rated for energy efficiency and environmental design. How is anyone hurt iby creating jobs and help the environment at the same time?

I don’t know about everyone else, but I want less traffic.

By: long time resident

long time resident — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 23:08:45 +0000

I may not agree with MP politics but II have to laud this effort. Both Manassas and Manassas Park have fallen prey to the economuic development is a strip mall mentality. While this would worsen traffic, in the long term it moves thousands of high paying jobs to the region. I’d gladly trade my hour plus commute for one. Think quality of life!

By: AWCheney

AWCheney — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 18:54:34 +0000

park’d said on 9 Nov 2007 at 5:09 pm:
The town and its citizens shouldn’t have to suffer for the corruption and mismanagement of the lunatic mayor and city council.

Park’d, as much as I sympathize with you (and I truly do), I have to say that the citizens of Manassas Park made their bed a very long time ago with their apathy. You know yourself that voter turnout is ALWAYS abysmal and that we’ve TRIED to get voters there involved in cleaning up the corruption their community for a long time, to no avail. Do you want to know what happened to the recall movement (against your Mayor and City Council)? We couldn’t get more than ONE MP citizen to get interested in doing anything, and that person didn’t have the time to take point (only citizens of the Park can circulate and witness petitions). We, on the outside, can do very little to clean up your mess for you…the people of the Park have got to resolve to do it themselves.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Sun, 11 Nov 2007 12:58:00 +0000

Have you been to Haverhill Apartments? I have several friend in the community- those units are rented by mostly white folks. The apartment complex has exceedingly high credit standards to get a unit, which probably plays into the demographic make up of its residents. The Centex development is mostly white and upper middle class. The newer developments are going to attract newer, more affluent residents. It’s the older sections of town as well as the townhome communities that will continue to become more heavily Latino. I think after the all the foreclosures, the single family homes will not have the same overcrowding issues that they do at present. How that all balances out, I don’t know, but I think you are wrong assuming that expensive, new housing will be rented or owned by the largely Latino immigrant community.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Sat, 10 Nov 2007 16:21:50 +0000

cdubbs said on 9 Nov 2007 at 8:57 pm:
I cannot imagine any Department of Defense employees really considering to relocate their families to Manassas Park. It will be interesting to see who really winds up in this type of housing project after the rates are dropped to encourage residency.

read post: Anonymous on 9 Nov 2007 at 4:50 pm:

By: cdubbs

cdubbs — Sat, 10 Nov 2007 01:57:40 +0000

I cannot imagine any Department of Defense employees really considering to relocate their families to Manassas Park. It will be interesting to see who really winds up in this type of housing project after the rates are dropped to encourage residency.

By: One who knows

One who knows — Sat, 10 Nov 2007 00:01:51 +0000

Actually, most of the 6,200 in question are DOD civil service, with only a few contractor.

By: usmcwife

usmcwife — Fri, 09 Nov 2007 23:02:56 +0000

One who knows:
Re: realignment from Crystal City — you are right — the majority are contractors who are already located in the DC area and would not move because the job site has been realigned. Our neighbor works for DHS and his physical worksite has moved four times within the DC/NoVA area, yet he hasn’t moved, just changed his commute.

As well, there is more than enough existing housing stock due to turnover (military move about every three years), overbuilding and foreclosures that there is no need for adding yet MORE housing stock to the mix.

By: One who knows

One who knows — Fri, 09 Nov 2007 22:53:05 +0000

Couple key points:

- Less than 5% of the 19,300 jobs being realigned to Fort Belvoir are jobs not presently in this region — less than 500 of the jobs are at places like Aberdeen and Fort Monmouth.

- More than 95% of the 19,300 jobs are filled by people who already live in the region, next door to me and you. How many people whose jobs will move from beltway leased space to space closer to their homes do you think will actually move?

- Out of the entire 19,300 being realigned to Belvoir, only about 5,000 are military. The rest are federal service and embedded contractor (civilians).

- The 6,200 that would move from leased space in Crytal City and elsewhere are almost all civilian. It’s those folks ABC would have move into its office park. (And, again, they already live here).

- Whoever would move into new homes AMC might build, it won’t be anyone realigned to Fort Belvoir under BRAC05.

By: park'd

park'd — Fri, 09 Nov 2007 22:09:03 +0000

The town and its citizens shouldn’t have to suffer for the corruption and mismanagement of the lunatic mayor and city council. It’s not exactly like the town will just be allowed to go bankrupt and the police force and school system employees allowed to go without pay. An outside entity needs to come in at that point and go through the MP books and deals with a fine toothed comb; which is something I am sure that the mayor and his cronies wants to avoid at all costs.

By: 999

999 — Fri, 09 Nov 2007 21:52:09 +0000

Why would PWC have to accept MP if they went belly up. They made the choice to be independent a long time ago. Make your bed and lie in it!

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Fri, 09 Nov 2007 21:50:17 +0000

Well, if the military families pass on MP (which in all probability they will) MP can provide the housing units for more illegals in an already well established illegal community. Make sense?

By: 999

999 — Fri, 09 Nov 2007 21:40:31 +0000

A connecting line to the VRE will be completed in say 30 years?

By: Lafayette

Lafayette — Fri, 09 Nov 2007 20:11:41 +0000

park’d
They call us racists here too. However, the PWCBOS have listened to the legal citizens, and taken action to fix the problem. We all know this crap didn’t happen overnight, and won’t go away overnight either.

By: park'd

park'd — Fri, 09 Nov 2007 20:02:06 +0000

You can be concerned all you want here in the park and they will just call you racist. They will do nothing when you bring it to their attention. The police are pretty good at responding, but the mayor and council are a disgrace.

By: Lafayette

Lafayette — Fri, 09 Nov 2007 19:59:12 +0000

park’d,
Will you be addressing that letter as “Jellyfish Jones”, as someone once called him on there. It’s unbelievable what’s become of the Park. It’s a little better here in WestGate, but thank goodness there are concerned citizens in the county willing to take action and report things to the county.

By: park'd

park'd — Fri, 09 Nov 2007 19:50:18 +0000

Manasty Park, I like that! I shall email Jones and the council with that new term and see what they think of it. These guys are seriously nuts if they think anybody other than illegals and/or their legal/illegal family members would ever consider living here now that the town has been ransacked. This is nothing more than a last ditch effort to save what’s left of the tax base from eroding.

By: veteran

veteran — Fri, 09 Nov 2007 19:25:28 +0000

Advocator: Huh?

By: dolph

dolph — Fri, 09 Nov 2007 19:23:01 +0000

Prince William County and Manassas City residents have a very vested interest in this proposal NOT happening. Just the traffic congestion alone makes it a horrible idea.

As for MP reverting back to town status, I sincerely hope it does not. It would help the Park and cause problems for all county residents.

By: Advocator

Advocator — Fri, 09 Nov 2007 19:15:45 +0000

This proposal and its undeniable consequences (slums, crime, rats, poor schools) is the natural result of allowing a foreign invasion force to take over a jurisdiction with impunity.