MANASSAS, Va. — The Prince William Board of County Supervisors voted Tuesday night to deny a special use permit for a new asphalt plant in Manassas. The plant was already facing a strong push back from residents who live nearby.
Allan Myers Paving needed the special use permit to be able to build the new plant. It would have been located near homes and Mullen Elementary School. Residents feared that would have brought more traffic, noise and pollution to their neighborhood. The proposed site was also next to the existing Branscome Paving Company asphalt plant. Residents say two asphalt plants would make their situation even worse.
"It's just nerve-wracking to have two of them together. One we can live with, two we cannot," said Becky Durham, a Kessler Ridge resident.
At least a dozen residents came out late Tuesday night for one last plea, asking supervisors to vote it down. The debate between supervisors was heated and went on for at least an hour. Ultimately, the board voted 5-3 not to approve the new plant.
Allan Myers Paving provided WUSA9 with the following statement:
We are extremely disappointed in the Board’s vote It’s unfortunate that they did not see the value in our proposal and the significant efforts we made to address the concerns of the community. Allan Myers is a successful business with a proven record as an exceptional neighbor and community partner. It’s unfortunate that we will not be able to contribute here with this project.
Last month, the Prince William Board of County Supervisors deadlocked on a tie vote to deny the special use permit to the paving company.
Supervisors were originally split down the middle on this issue.
Board Chair, Ann Wheeler, strongly supported bringing the plant to the county.
"We have a business that wants to come here and invest $13 million in Prince William County, and once again we're going to say 'no.' It irritates me that we're a county that just says no to things," Wheeler said at a July board meeting.
Other supervisors told WUSA9 earlier in the week that their stance on the issue had not changed, and they planned to vote against the plant again Tuesday.
"The nearby residents and Mullen students already suffer from inadequate buffering adjacent to this industrial park so it would be reckless of our Board to exacerbate their conditions caused by poor land-use decisions of previous boards," said Brentsville District Supervisor Jeanine Lawson.
