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The Manassas City School Board is set to vote at its next meeting on a surplus property resolution related to the new Jennie Dean Elementary school.
The resolution is part of the requisite boundary line adjustment for the new elementary school. It will enable the School Board to swap a certain portion of the property with portions currently held by the city of Manassas.
“There’s 0.9 acres that a pickleball court is on that is currently Manassas City Public School property and then there’s two pieces of the ‘new Dean’ project that go over the line on the Manassas city property line,” said Superintendent Kevin Newman.
Both happen to be 0.9 acres, allowing the two sides to essentially swap the property.
City Council has a separate process it must go through to make the adjustment, including two public hearings on the matter.
“This is just a part of the process that is moving the new Dean project along,” Newman said.
While the resolution was up for discussion at Tuesday night’s meeting – to be voted on at the following meeting – there was no discussion on the matter outside of Newman’s short recap of the resolution.
The two sides have had a number of meetings and discussions over an extended period of time about the Jennie Dean Elementary project and the property swap itself.
“We’ve had a lot of conversations about 0.9 acres of property,” Newman said.
History
Manassas City Council approved in May a special use permit that was required in order for construction on the new building to begin. The two sides disagreed on the conditions set forth in the permit, particularly surrounding what happens to the old Jennie Dean school building when the new one is built.
Ultimately, to the dismay of several School Board members, City Council approved the permit with a set of 12 conditions the School Board must abide by.
One condition in particular instructs the School Board to assist the city in any historical investigation to determine if any part of the school or site has historical significance. It also directs the School Board to prepare and submit a plan that addresses the use and disposition of the existing school building.
If the School Board has plans for the continued use of the existing building, it would be required to conduct a cost-benefit analysis, discuss any alternative locations available for the proposed use and analyze potential land-use public facility impacts.
The condition includes language that would allow the city to demolish the older building if the council chooses not to approve the plan of use offered by the School Board.
The School Board and City Council have had several individual and joint meetings over the course of many months to try to come to a decision on the best plan for the projects.
While councilmembers have said it was always intended the old building would be torn down when the new building is constructed, members of the School Board have repeatedly asked that the old building remain intact for potential future use.
After the City Council approved the permit with the set of conditions, several School Board members expressed their concern with the conditions, particularly related to the potential demolition of the old building.
School Board member Jill Spall said at a meeting following the approval of the permit that the disagreement over what to do with the current Dean building is about more than just this building and property itself.
“The issues are a part of a broader discussion about land use, historical preservation and community development,” Spall said. “I’m much more concerned with what the city plans to do with the land once old Dean is demolished than I am about keeping old Dean itself.”
The new Jennie Dean building, which will serve pre-kindergarten through 4th grade students, is expected to be completed in late 2026 or 2027.
