Liberty Wall court hearing postponed

By Kipp Hanley

Published: July 3, 2008

A court hearing set for Tuesday to resolve building and zoning violations issued by the city of Manassas to the 9500 Liberty Street co-owners has been postponed to Sept. 5.

The first violation resulted because owners Delia Alvarez and Gaudencio Fernandez failed to apply for a building permit after re-enforcing their partially demolished structure, a violation of the city building
code. The owners re-enforced the structure in order to hang a more permanent political sign than the previous incarnations that were in place starting last September.

The house, which was badly damaged by fire in 2006, was partially demolished by the owners before they decided to use the remaining wall as a way to criticize Prince William County’s resolution targeting illegal immigrants and the city’s participation in the Immigration & Customs Enforcement 287 (g) program.

The zoning citation, the city contends, resulted from excessive litter and trash on the premises, which is against city code. The owners had used the property for several social and religious functions last fall.

The city has done several inspections of the property, including one in May, and says the owners were not in compliance on both occasions.

On May 15, the city sent a letter to the owners directing them to obtain a demolition permit for their sign in 10 days, a deadline the owners missed. According to Buildings Official Brian Smith, Fernandez
obtained a six-month demolition permit on April 12, 2007, which has since expired.

The letter states Fernandez needs a new demolition permit in order to submit an application for a new structure, which he plans on doing.

Staff writer Kipp Hanley can be reached at 703-369-5738.