Manassas Housing Board Seeks Permanent Role as Housing Rules Change

The temporary City of Manassas Housing Advisory Board is seeking a broader role in housing policy as new state laws, regional planning efforts and local housing funding change.

2-MINUTE BRIEF

WHAT HAPPENED: The City of Manassas Housing Advisory Board presented draft recommendations Sept. 1 asking Manassas City Council to make the temporary board permanent.

WHAT’S PROPOSED: A permanent Housing Advisory Board would have a broader advisory role in housing policy, ordinances, housing funding, studies and long-range planning.

WHAT ELSE IS CHANGING: The City of Manassas is preparing for new Virginia housing laws and participating in regional housing planning through the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments.

WHAT’S NEXT: Manassas City Council would have to approve a permanent Housing Advisory Board and define its responsibilities. The Sept. 1 materials remain as a draft.

The City of Manassas is considering whether to make its temporary Housing Advisory Board permanent and give it a broader role in housing policy.

At its Sept. 1 meeting, the Housing Advisory Board presented draft recommendations involving housing ordinances, public funding, studies, public information and long-range planning. One recommendation calls for Manassas City Council to establish the board permanently.

The proposal comes as housing policy is changing at the state, regional and local levels. Manassas City Council has not approved a permanent Housing Advisory Board.

What the Sept. 1 Proposal Says

The draft recommendations call for the Housing Advisory Board to work with Virginia Housing, Virginia’s state housing finance agency, and provide input on a City study examining preservation of local affordable rental properties connected to the federal Low-Income Housing Tax Credit program.

The Low-Income Housing Tax Credit, commonly called LIHTC, is a federal program that uses tax credits to support affordable rental housing. Virginia Housing runs the program in Virginia and works with developers and housing partners that use the credits.

Housing Coordinator Trinity Waldron reported during the board’s Aug. 4 meeting that funding for the LIHTC preservation study had been secured and the study was expected to begin. The board requested that study scope materials be provided in September.

The Housing Advisory Board also proposes advising on housing ordinances, updating the City’s Housing Resource Guide and developing a strategy for the Housing Investment Fund, the City of Manassas fund used to support housing initiatives.

Other proposed duties include identifying housing needs using data, recommending policies and program priorities, conducting housing studies and advising on housing portions of future Comprehensive Plan work. The proposed ordinance also describes a role in developing guidelines for Housing Investment Fund applications.

Those responsibilities would be advisory. The proposal does not give the Housing Advisory Board independent authority to adopt ordinances, change zoning or authorize City spending.

Earlier Meetings Show What the Board Has Been Discussing

Minutes from the board’s Aug. 4 meeting provide additional detail about the housing policies members were considering while developing their recommendations.

Members discussed inclusionary zoning, density bonuses, affordable-housing construction, possible in-lieu fees, missing-middle housing and standards based on Area Median Income.

The board also discussed how the City might administer an affordable-dwelling-unit program if Manassas chooses to establish one under Virginia law.

Vice Chair Dianne Lane suggested that a program office could be needed if an affordable-dwelling-unit program is adopted.

Board members also asked that longer-term goals consider either creating a program-management position or partnering with Prince William County to help administer purchases and sales of affordable units.

Members requested additional Virginia Housing training on housing trust funds and housing finance.

The Aug. 4 minutes also show Councilmember Tom Osina updating the board on the Center Street redevelopment project and explaining that the project would proceed through Architectural Review Board and Planning Commission review before reaching City Council.

Those discussions did not establish new City policies. Final ordinances, programs and public funding remain subject to the City’s established approval process.

The City’s Housing Investment Fund

Manassas City Council created the temporary Housing Advisory Board in 2025 after setting aside $2 million for attainable-housing initiatives.

The City of Manassas’ adopted FY2027 budget establishes an $8 million Housing Investment Fund, using $3 million in land-sale proceeds and a $5 million transfer from the General Fund.

The Housing Advisory Board’s proposed permanent duties include helping develop guidelines and recommendations for Housing Investment Fund grants and loans.

Housing Policy Is Changing at Several Levels

Three Virginia housing laws discussed by the Housing Advisory Board and the City of Manassas Planning Commission take effect in 2027.

A new state law governing accessory dwelling units, or ADUs, takes effect July 1. It generally requires ADUs to be allowed in single-family residential zoning districts. An ADU is a separate dwelling on the same residential lot as the primary home. The law still allows local requirements in areas such as permits, safety, utilities and historic districts.

A separate change taking effect July 1 allows, but does not require, localities to create an Affordable Dwelling Unit, or AFDU, program. If the City of Manassas chooses to create one, it would have to establish an advisory committee and seek input from residents and other specified groups before adoption.

A third law takes effect Jan. 1. It allows qualifying religious organizations and certain nonprofit organizations to develop qualifying residential or mixed-use housing by right when the requirements of state law are met.

Regional Planning Is Also Part of the Picture

The City of Manassas is a member of the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments, commonly called COG or MWCOG.

COG is a voluntary regional organization made up of 24 local governments, including the City of Manassas, City of Manassas Park and Prince William County.

In 2019, the COG Board adopted regional housing targets calling for at least 320,000 new housing units between 2020 and 2030. The targets also call for at least 75% of new housing to be in regional activity centers or near high-capacity transit and at least 75% to be affordable to low- and middle-income households.

COG sets regional housing goals and provides data, technical assistance and grants to member governments. Decisions about the structure of the City of Manassas Housing Advisory Board remain local.

In 2024, COG awarded the City of Manassas Community Development Department $65,000 for a Downtown Affordable Housing Study involving two properties near the Manassas VRE station. The grant supports a feasibility study examining the properties, possible affordability levels and their relationship to downtown development.

City Housing and Land-Use Plans

The City’s current Manassas 2040 Comprehensive Plan, its long-range guide for land use, development, transportation and public facilities, helps shape local planning decisions.

The City’s Housing Plan says Manassas is nearly built out, with limited land available for new housing. It identifies redevelopment of underused property and strategic infill as ways to add housing while also calling for preservation of the character, quality and affordability of existing neighborhoods.

The City’s land-use plan also calls for compatible infill and redevelopment that reflects Manassas’s historic character.

The proposed Housing Advisory Board would advise on housing issues within that local planning framework.

How the City Process Fits Together

The proposed Housing Advisory Board would provide housing advice and recommendations but would not have final authority over City policy.

The City of Manassas Community Development Department provides staff support, research and administration for housing and planning matters.

The City of Manassas Planning Commission has a separate role under Virginia law. It prepares and recommends the Comprehensive Plan and reviews land-use matters assigned to it.

Manassas City Council decides whether the Housing Advisory Board becomes permanent and makes final decisions on City ordinances and public funding.

A permanent Housing Advisory Board would advise on housing policy, funding recommendations, studies and long-range planning.

What Comes Next

The Sept. 1 presentation outlines the Housing Advisory Board’s current proposal for a permanent role. The materials shown at the meeting were marked DRAFT.

As of Sept. 3, the City of Manassas public meeting archive had not posted minutes from the Sept. 1 meeting. The Housing Advisory Board’s next regular meeting is listed for Oct. 6.

A permanent Housing Advisory Board would require action by Manassas City Council.