Manassas Shopping Center

Manassas Shopping Center Fact Sheet (English)
La adquisición de la Plaza Comercial de Manassas (español)

The Economic Development Authority of the City of Manassas (EDA) is purchasing the Manassas Shopping Center at 9018 Mathis Avenue to help revitalize the Mathis Avenue corridor.

The EDA is chartered by the Virginia General Assembly and has broad powers defined in the Code of Virginia to promote economic development in the City. Those powers include the acquisition, disposition and management of property for a public purpose. Its directors are appointed by the Manassas City Council.

The Manassas Shopping Center, built in 1959, includes over 100,000 square feet of building space and sits on 13.5 acres. The $16 million purchase price is funded by one-time American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds and capital reserve funds, and is included in the FY2025 budget that begins on July 1, 2024. The proposed sale does not impact the City’s tax rate.
Short-Term Plans

• All existing leases in the shopping center will be honored. Existing tenants will be supported, but will eventually be relocated. New leases to existing or prospective tenants may be granted on a short-term basis.
• The shopping center now generates $1 million annually from lease revenues, which will be retained for public use. Sales, meals, property and business taxes will still be paid, and the EDA will continue to pay real estate taxes and manage the property.

Long-Term Plans

• May include retail and office space, and could provide opportunities for the City to meet its attainable housing goals.
• Share your ideas for the property, including interim adaptive uses.

History of Redeveloping the Mathis Ave. Corridor

• 2006 Mathis Avenue Sector Plan
• In 2017 the Mathis Avenue corridor was designated as an Opportunity Zone under the Federal Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, which creates incentives for investors to support communities that have experienced uneven economic growth.
• Read more about the 2040 Comprehensive Plan and Citizen Engagement
• The Mathis Avenue Streetscape project, which complements the shopping center redevelopment, has been included in the Capital Improvement Budget since 2019 and is currently in the design stage. 
• 2022 Community Survey Support for Economic Development

The purchase is expected to be complete in July or August. Residents are invited to weigh in on the proposed FY25 budget during a Town Hall Meeting scheduled for March 18 at 7 PM, and a public hearing on the budget, scheduled for April 22^nd at 5:30 PM. Both will be held at Jennie Dean Elementary School, 9601 Prince William St.

Press Release

Share your ideas for Manassas Shopping Center Redevelopment  //  Cuéntenos sus ideas sobre el futuro de la reurbanización de la Plaza Comercial de Manassas (encuesta bilingüe)

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images from the 2006 Mathis Ave. Sector Plan