The Manassas City Board of Education is scheduled to vote on a surplus property resolution related to the new Jenny Dean Elementary School at its next meeting.
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The Manassas City Board of Education is scheduled to vote on a surplus property resolution related to the new Jenny Dean Elementary School at its next meeting.
This resolution is part of the necessary boundary adjustments for the new elementary school. This would allow the school board to exchange certain portions of the property for portions currently held by the City of Manassas.
“We have 0.9 acres of land with pickleball courts that are currently the site of Manassas City Public Schools, and we also have two ‘New Dean’ projects that cross the Manassas City property line,” said Superintendent Kevin Newman. said.
Both properties happened to be 0.9 acres in size, allowing the two parties to essentially swap the land.
The City Council has a separate process to go through to make adjustments, including two public hearings on the issue.
“This is just part of the process of moving forward with the new Dean project,” Newman said.
The resolution was discussed at Tuesday night’s meeting and was to be voted on at the next meeting, but there was no discussion on the issue other than a short summary of the resolution by Newman.
Both sides have held numerous meetings and discussions over a long period of time regarding the Jenny Dean Elementary School project and the property exchange itself.
“We talked a lot about the 0.9-acre property,” Newman said.
history
In May, the Manassas City Council approved the special use permit needed to begin construction on the new building. The two sides disagreed about the terms of the permit, particularly what would happen to the old Jenny Dean school building when the new school building was built.
Ultimately, to the dismay of some school board members, the City Council approved the permit with 12 conditions that the school board must comply with.
One condition in particular directs the school board to assist the city in conducting a historical study to determine whether the school or portion of the site has historical significance. It also directs the Board of Education to prepare and submit a plan for the use and disposal of existing school buildings.
If the school board plans to continue using an existing building, conduct a cost-benefit analysis, discuss available alternative locations for the proposed use, and identify potential land uses for public facilities. need to analyze the impact on
The terms include language that would allow the city to demolish the old building if the City Council does not approve the use plan presented by the school board.
The school board and city council have held several individual and joint meetings over the course of many months to determine the best plan for the project.
City councilors said it was always the intention for the old building to be demolished when the new building was constructed, but school board members decided to leave the old building in place for possible future use. I have repeatedly requested this.
After the City Council approved the permit with a series of conditions, several school board members expressed concerns about the conditions, particularly the potential demolition of the old building.
School board member Jill Spall said at a meeting after the permit was approved that the disagreement over what to do with the current dean’s building is not just about the building and site itself. .
“These issues are part of a broader conversation about land use, historic preservation and community development,” Spall said. “I’m far more concerned about what the city is going to do with the land after Old Dean is demolished than I am about preserving Old Dean itself.”
The new Jenny Dean building will serve preschool through fourth grade students and is expected to be completed in late 2026 or 2027.
