"Brian Shull, the city's economic development director, said the parcel could become the first noncommercial lot of 7 acres or more along East Market to be rezoned for commercial use since 2003, when Harrisonburg Crossing was created at the former Dunham-Bush plant."

For the project to move forward, the parcel's land-use designation in the city's comprehensive plan must be changed to commercial from conservation recreation. The property then must be rezoned to general business district conditional from single-family residential district. Senior planner Alison Banks said the Harrisonburg Planning Commission approved both requests unanimously on Dec. 9. City Council also must sign off and is slated to take up the matter at its Jan. 12 meeting. The change makes sense to the city's planning staff, she said, because of the nature of traffic in the area and utilities on the site. "This portion of the country club that we'd be subdividing off along East Market Street is at a busy intersection," Banks said. "Large [Harrisonburg Electric Commission] power lines run thorough it, too." The conceptual site plan presented to the Planning Commission shows two entrances to the small center - a standard one with turn lanes off Country Club Road, and a right in, right out off East Market Street at the property's eastern edge.

• The overall value of taxable properties increased 1.6% over the past year.
   
  
• Only 3,500 properties (out of 12,412) had an updated assessed value.

Read more in the DNR article, or find the assessed value of any property in the City (or County) at HarrisonburgAssessments.com.

"In every house I visit to do an energy audit, the electrical outlets have been a major source of air infiltration. Sealing these holes up in your thermal envelope will reduce your energy usage and make your home more comfortable."

WASHINGTON - The Federal Reserve said on Wednesday that it would raise short-term interest rates for the first time since the financial crisis, a decision it described as a vote of confidence in the American economy even as much of the rest of the world struggles.

The widely anticipated announcement - that the Fed would raise rates to a range between 0.25 percent and 0.5 percent - signals the beginning of the end for the central bank's stimulus program. Fed officials emphasized that they intended to raise rates gradually, and only if economic growth continues. Short-term rates will rise by about one percentage point a year for the next three years, Fed officials predicted.

Interest rates on mortgages and other kinds of loans, and on savings accounts and other kinds of investments, are likely to remain low for years to come.

[...]

The decision "recognizes the considerable progress that has been made toward restoring jobs, raising incomes and easing the economic hardships that have been endured by millions of ordinary Americans," Ms. Yellen said. The Fed's announcement came exactly seven years to the day after the central bank cut its benchmark rate nearly to zero.

HARRISONBURG, Va. (WHSV) -- A new building on corner of Mason and East Market streets near Urban Exchange will feature a restaurant, possibly a wine bar and some apartments; and those apartments won't be typical rentals.

The three apartments that will go on the third floor will be advertised as short-term rentals on Air B&B, a website that allows people to rent out their spaces temporarily.

The building's owner, Ken Bell, hopes this will boost the downtown scene, but also bring in something he thinks is missing from the area.

"There's already a number of apartments for people looking for the standard year-long lease but what I haven't been able to see is any way that someone that's just visiting, but wants to stay in downtown," Bell said. "There's really not much available right now for that."

In the basement, Bell hopes to have a wine bar and a Mediterranean restaurant on the first and second floors.

According to Bell, he hopes that this building will encourage other expansion in the downtown area.

"They build upon one another," Bell said. "The more people that live downtown and shop downtown, then there's more businesses that wanna be downtown --and those businesses need space so then it will continue to grow."

• Homes sales in November shot up 14.71% as compared to last November.
   
  
• More Homes Are Selling: year-to-date home sales are 5.8% above last year during the same time frame.
   
• Homes Are Selling At Higher Prices: the median price has increased 3.91% in 2015 as compared to the same time frame last year.  The average sales price has also increased 3.24%.
   
• Homes Are Selling Faster: the median days on market has declined 16.67% in 2015 as compared to last year.
  

• 1.44 Acres  -  $75K
• 1.599 Acres  -  $95K
• 3.099 Acres  -  $115K

• The Lakeview Golf Club has thirty-six holes, consisting of four sets of nine-hole courses developed over four separate decades. In 2013, the Club requested to rezone a portion of parcel 126-(A)- L44 to General Business District (B-1), for the construction of an event center and expanded club house.
  
• The applicant has requested to rezone a portion of the golf course to Medium Density Residential District (R-2) for the construction of no more than twenty-one housing units and to extend Lakeview Drive to serve these housing units..
  

• This proposal retains the existing character of the golf course with housing on the perimeter; however, the proposed extension of Lakeview Drive does not conform to the zoning ordinance. Staff recommend tabling the request until this is resolved.