by John Reid

Recently, a proposal by Avports Manassas LLC to oversee expansion of Manassas Regional Airport has been met with positive and negative reactions from residents. If approved, the proposal would bring commercial flights to the airport, resulting in the building of four to six gates.

During a recent council meeting, concerns over an increase in noise, traffic and other issues were brought up. On Friday, Manassas Mayor Michelle Davis-Younger spoke exclusively with the PW Perspective to address rumors that the expansion has already been approved.

“We’ve been accused of already having decided on the expansion, we have not,” she said. “We are just very excited about it.”

Mayor Davis-Younger talked about the meeting on Monday, with plans for another one in the coming weeks. “We held the first hearing on Monday and another one will take place on the 24th. There were a lot of people who came out, especially those who live in the nearby neighborhoods, like the Great Oaks community. The homeowner’s association president Mr. Brown spoke, as did the residents.”

She talked about what was discussed with those raising concerns. “They did have concerns about noise, pollution, and quality of life,” she said. “We informed them that an unsolicited proposal came to us, we looked at it, they [Avports Manassas, LLC] placed the bid on it.”

If approved, she stated that it will be a benefit to the city of Manassas.

“It’s going to be a big change for the city,” she continued. “This will mean an expansion of economic opportunities, with more job growth for local citizens.”

As for the noise levels currently, she says there has not been a problem so far, and the proposed expansion will not bring a noticeable increase.

“We have jets that come in now,” she said, “and there’s been no issue. People are concerned about the frequency, but it’s not going to be that much more noticeable.”

Regarding the noise, “There’s always going to be some level of noise,” she said, “and we’re looking at everything, no decision has been made. It has been a major goal of mine to hire from home, and to make sure that jobs are there. Avports is paying for everything, it’s not costing us a cent.”

According to a WUSA9 report, the proposal will bring an estimated 250 jobs to the area.

“They’re going to renovate, so to me it’s a win-win,” she said. “There has been no vote, or decision made. I invite everyone to come out for the meeting on July 24th. We do listen, and we do care.”

She emphasized that Manassas Regional Airport is not competing with Dulles International Airport through this proposed expansion as well. “The goal is not to compete with Dulles, but to simply provide another option. It will be closer to home and provide some cheaper flights. We don’t know who the carriers will be, but we’ve heard the flights will be pretty inexpensive, maybe even less than $100 to get to Florida. People are looking for that option and not having to travel down to Route 28, which could take up to thirty minutes. It’s more about convenience and being local.”

Another concern was that although Manassas Regional Airport is small, it could become like O’Hare International Airport in Chicago, which began the same way.

“We have no idea what is going to happen 20 to 30 years from now,” she said, “but you have to take chances. What we are doing is researching everything, and we are excited about the opportunity to be a community partner with Avports.”

“In addition, we want to make sure they’re doing the right thing as well. Avports has been very forthcoming with all of the details and are a great company to partner with.”

She welcomes the opportunity to hear from as many voices as possible on the July 24th meeting.

“Commercial flying has been a goal for years, and now we just want to see where it goes. The council has the final say, and the people are welcome to express their thoughts on it. We will take everything into consideration.”