Battle Street Opening Signals the Kick-off of the City’s Arts and Cultural District

Monday, May 18, 2009

The City of Manassas is proud to announce that the Battle Street project is complete well ahead of schedule. The Battle St. project was approved by City Council on February 20, 2009 and broke ground at 7:00 a.m. the following morning. This project is an integral part of the City’s new Arts and Cultural District which includes enhanced events, more opportunities for outdoor dining and more live entertainment. Community Development Director Liz Via stated, “the project is all about economic development and making sure that Manassas is ready when the next wave of the economy strikes.”

Battle St. is at the center of the Arts and Cultural District in Old Town Manassas. The new designation, a partnership between the Virginia Commission for the Arts and the Virginia Tourism Corporation is intended to market Virginia as a year-round travel destination for individuals and groups as well as marketing the arts and cultural attractions of Virginia to international travelers. Businesses and retail that are located, or soon to locate in this district are eligible for certain incentives and grants. More information can be found on the City of Manassas website: www.manassascity.org.

For Manassas and Old Town, it means that restaurants such as Okra’s and Carmello’s now offer outside dining and City Square Café can now expand their already successful outside dining experience. Mature trees and furniture make a wonderful environment for strolling down the street and stopping to shop, or enjoy a delightful meal. “The first weekend we were open to outside dining, it was obvious from the whiplash people were getting as they drove by that they were noticing Carmello’s for the first time, even though we’ve been here over twenty years! It is clear that the new look to Battle St. will clearly be an asset to Carmello’s and Old Town as well,” said Miguel Pires, general manager of Carmello’s and Little Portugal, located at the corner of Center and Battle St.

Battle Street was paid for from funds designated strictly for transportation projects and not from the City’s operating budget. Regular events and cultural opportunities will also be on the menu in the near future. Please check out events and activities currently scheduled in and around Old Town on our website at www.visitmanassas.org. For more information on Historic Manassas, Inc. please contact Patty Tracy, Executive Director at 703-361-6599 or by email at pattytracy@historicmanassasinc.org.