Development
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Planning Commission Recommends Approval of 172 Unit Senior Housing Community (Crownpoint Independent Living) on Apple Valley Road |
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A developer out of Williamsburg has requested that an 8.38 acre parcel on Apple Valley Road be rezoned to allow for the development of a senior living facility. The community would include 130 group home units (with 1-2 bedrooms) and 42 attached dwellings (duplexes or rowhouses) potentially as shown in the layout above. The group home units will be built as (2) three-story residential structures with a community building between them. Potential community amenities will include outdoor common areas, recreational activities, a dog area, a greenhouse, an electric vehicle charging station and more. The community will likely offer services such as housekeeping, a coffee shop, a hair/nail salon, fitness classes, etc. The living units in this development will be rented, not purchased, per the developer (Andy Piplico) and there will not be age restrictions but the average age of residents will likely be 84 years old. The Planning Commission voted 5-0 to recommend that this development be approved, and the Board of Supervisors will make that final decision in the near future. Read more about this proposed development: | |
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What Is Being Developed Where in the Rockingham County Urban Development Area as of October 2019 |
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Rockingham County publishes this map each month with the status of developments within the Urban Development Area. Download a PDF of the Oct 2019 version here. Much, but maybe not all, of the stated developments are likely on your radar... Likely or Possibly Coming Soon at Stoneport:
Likely or Possibly Coming Soon on Boyers Road:
You'll find a few other odds and ends as well. Download a copy (here) and see what is under development or proposed to be developed. | |
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How Should Vacant Land Be Developed In The City of Harrisonburg |
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There are still vacant parcels of land in the City of Harrisonburg that might be developed in the future. Should all of these vacant parcels become student housing? Should they all be for detached homes? Should they all be for retail or professional office space? Clearly, no. As a part of the comprehensive planning process, the City of Harrisonburg develops a Land Use Guide that outlines how land in the City should be used. The Comprehensive Plan is developed over multiple years with many stakeholders, and is intended to be a vision for what the City would like to be in the future. As such, the Plan (and the Land Use Guide) are not regulatory documents that mandate particular uses of land -- but they are a guide that City staff and elected officials use as a reference point when making decisions. Read the Comprehensive Plan here. Download the Nov 13, 2018 version of the Land Use Guide here. Case in point -- the six-story mixed-use building approved last night on 6.6 acres on Reservoir Street. Let's dive into this as an example. As you'll see, the existing land use of the parcel is described as "vacant"... ![]() And when we look at the current zoning, we find that it is zoned R-3, as with most of the surrounding property. This zoning classification allows for single family homes, duplexes or townhouses. ![]() But things get interesting when we look at the Land Use Guide... ![]() Here (above) you'll see that the Land Use Guide recommends that the front of the property be used for Mixed Use and the back of the property be used for Medium Density Residential. You'll see quite a few parcels along Reservoir Street with a Mixed Use designation, likely because Reservoir Street has become more and more of a thoroughfare for the City, with lots of townhouses (Avalon Woods, Breckenridge Court) and student housing (Charleston Townes) in that vicinity. Thus, the City (staff, elected officials, citizens who participated in the comprehensive planning process) thought that it would be reasonable (and best) for those parcels fronting on Reservoir Street to be used for mixed use development. In this particular example, though, things get tricky when considering the intended use and the proposed use from multiple perspectives. The property owner and intended developer of the property proposed that the entire property be used for a mixed use development with retail, office and apartments. This makes sense to them, I suppose, because the front of the property is supposed to be used for mixed use development. Many of the neighboring property owners would seemingly not like to see a mixed use development take place on this site. I suppose I can't ascribe anything particular to how those neighboring property owners would like to see the property developed -- because the main focus of their recent comments have been about how they do not want it to be developed. They don't think that a mixed use development should be approved for this entire parcel. This makes sense to them, I suppose, because the back portion (majority) of the property is intended to be used for a medium density residential development, and not a mixed use development. So, as you can see, the Land Use Guide can be a helpful tool for property owners and developers to use when they are considering ideas for developing land in the City -- though sometimes what "should be done" per the Comprehensive Plan and Land Use Guide is not entirely clear depending on the particular property. Last night, City Council approved the requests from the property owner to rezone the property and allow for the mixed use development to move forward. Read more about the nuances of that decision and discussion here... Daily News Record: City OKs Mixed-Use High-Rise The Harrisonburg Citizen: Council narrowly approves mixed-use development in Reservoir St. neighborhood | |
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Six Story Mixed Use Building Proposed on 6.6 Acres on Reservoir Street |
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view as PDF Two parcels totaling 6.6 acres might soon be home to six-story mixed use building to include:
Here's a map more clearly showing the surrounding properties... City staff recommends approving the development, noting that...
At the Planning Commission meeting, owners of some of the neighboring properties expressed concerns...
The Planning Commission recommended denial of three of the four requests from the developer. They recommended that City Council not rezone the property, not allow more than 12 units in a building on the property and not allow the building to be more than four stories or 52 feet -- though they did recommend that City allow non-residential uses in a building with R-5 zoning, though that would require the property to be zoned R-5. So -- City staff supports the proposed development and the Planning Commission does not. Next up -- City Council! When City Council met earlier this month they ended up holding off on a vote as to whether to allow for this development, since one of the members of City Council (George Hirschmann) was not present. They will meet today to review the requests again and to potentially vote on whether to approve them. | |
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New Duplexes Being Built in McGaheysville, VA |
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Welcome to Island Ford Estates in McGaheysville, VA! The same builder who brought you The Glen at Cross Keys is now building a very similar floor plan just a few minutes further East in McGaheysville... The site is being prepared for these duplexes -- and wow -- what amazing mountain views! Island Ford Estates duplexes offer an open floor plan on the main level which includes a kitchen, dining area, living room, master bedroom, office or sitting room and laundry room. Enjoy spectacular mountain views and a cul-de-sac location in these thoughtfully designed homes. These homes feature 9 foot ceilings in many areas, light-filled living areas, luxury vinyl plan flooring, upscale cabinetry, granite countertops and many options and upgrades. Visit IslandFordEstates.com to find floor plans, a site plan, standard features, a vicinity map and more! | |
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There Might Not Be Anyone To Blame For Urban Flooding in the Lake Shenandoah Watershed Area |
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![]() If your house, or street, or neighborhood floods during heavy rainfall events in the Lake Shenandoah watershed area, it likely seems that someone must be at fault - someone must have messed up - someone must be blamed for the drainage problems. But who is to blame? Many neighborhoods were developed just southeast of Harrisonburg over the past 20 years - and in each case, the developer would be told by the County how to develop the land from a stormwater perspective based on requirements from the State. So - if the State (Commonwealth of Virginia) creates guidelines, the County enforces them, and the developer implements them, who is to blame if your house, street or neighborhood is flooding? It is tempting to say that the developer must be at fault - but they were just doing what the County was telling them to do to manage stormwater. We could then blame County officials - but they were just doing what the state was telling them to do to manage stormwater. So, hmmm.... Here's a bit of further commentary from Mr. Miller (the County's attorney) at the public hearing held by the Board of Supervisors...
So, if everything was being done based on what the experts at the state were mandating - then it seems that local builders, developers and County officials aren't really the ones to be blaming for urban flooding. Yes, if all of these neighborhoods were developed today, the developer would be told by the County to do more to mitigate stormwater based on requirements from the state - but those guidelines and requirements were not in place when these neighborhoods were developed. A few other related notes...
If this topic interests you, consider attending the Work Session on the topic to be held this Wednesday (August 21, 2019) at 6:00 PM at the Rockingham County Administration Center. No action will be taken at the meeting, but it is an opportunity for further discussion and input. Also, as a refresher, these recent conversations are a result of the County's proposal to create a Stormwater Authority specifically for the Lake Shenandoah Watershed. The Authority could potentially spend around $3.2 million to improve the stormwater system by creating new detention facilities and increasing the capacity of ditches and pipes. If the cost of these potential improvements was divided evenly between the affected parcels, it would cost approximately $200 per year per parcel. Though... "Mr. Miller stated these are only estimates, because there are too many unknowns until engineering studies are conducted. Assistant County Administrator Armstrong noted that the $3.2 million cost is with no contribution from state or federal grants that the County may be able to obtain to offset costs." | |
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What If You Could Build A Duplex On Every Single Family Home Lot? |
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![]() What if, on any single family home lot, you could build a duplex -- or even a townhouse! Would that help more affordable housing to be built? Would that upset existing single family home owners? Oregon is giving it a try! :-) From NPR... Some excerpts of interest follow...
Read the entire article for further commentary and perspectives... | |
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Resolution to Create Stormwater Authority Tabled |
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A public hearing was held on July 17, 2019 and it drew quite a crows (70+ people) and lead to several hours of discussion. At the end of the meeting, the Board of Supervisors decided that they needed to spend more time looking into the comments and concerns raised by local residents. The Board tabled the resolution that would have created the authority, and it is not clear when any next steps will be taken. It seems that much of the concern and discussion was related to how to pay for the needed upgrades to the stormwater system. I don't think anyone questions that those upgrades are needed. Here is an excerpt from a July 18, 2019 article in the Daily News Record, Stormwater Authority Tabled...
For further context, the County's website (linked above) explains that...
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Rockingham County Considers Creating Lake Shenandoah Stormwater Control Authority |
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Rockingham County is proposing that a Stormwater Control Authority be created in the area shown above in blue. Learn more here. The link above takes us to some great FAQ's, which explain that...
This proposed Stormwater Control Authority would include all or part of the following areas:
Again, learn more about this proposal and process here. | |
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Mixed Use Development Proposed on Peach Grove Avenue |
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The Harrisonburg City Council will hold a Public Hearing on May 14, 2019 at 7:00 PM on a variety of topics, including the potential rezoning of land on Peach Grove Avenue for the development of "The Residence and Shoppes at Peach Groves". UPDATE: The applicant has tabled the request until May 28. The public hearing will not take place on May 14. Here are some key points to know based on the information packet provided during the Planning Commission meeting in April.
If you want to provide input on this potential rezoning for this potential development, attend the City Council meeting on May 14, 2019 at 7:00 PM. UPDATE: The applicant has tabled the request until May 28. The public hearing will not take place on May 14. | |
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Updated Urban Development Area Shows Current, Proposed Developments |
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Take a close look at the updated Urban Development Area map for updates on current and proposed developments in Rockingham County's "Urban Development Area" just southeast of the City of Harrisonburg. Completed Projects:
Construction Underway:
Construction Pending:
Under Review:
Download a PDF of the map here. | |
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Senior Living Facility To Be Built at Preston Lake? |
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![]() It looks like the triangular-ish portion of the Preston Lake mixed use development shown below outlined in red may end up being a senior living facility instead of simply an apartment complex. ![]() The details of what exactly that would mean are not clear -- perhaps there will be services and amenities geared towards seniors? The Rockingham County Board of Supervisors approved the developer's request to waive a public hearing for this change as the land was to be used for a 168-unit multi-family apartment complex and now will be used as a similarly (identically?) dense senior living facility. Read more in the DNR article or download the updated master plan. | |
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Some Student Housing Eventually Becomes Affordable (Non Student) Housing |
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Sometimes it seems CRAZY how much NEW, NICE, EXPENSIVE student housing is being built in Harrisonburg - and now even in Rockingham County. So what happens to all of that older student housing stock when the newer student housing becomes available to students? Quoting fellow Realtor, Ritchie Vaughn (thanks Ritchie!) from a Facebook dialogue a few days ago... "Many of the most affordable spots for working families in Harrisonburg today are complexes that were initially build for students, like Madison Manor, Camden Townes, Hunters Ridge, South Ave condos, etc, so we have some robust historical support that the student complexes of today will likely turn into affordable housing in the future." The neighborhoods that Ritchie references are the ones I have pictured above, and indeed, while they were originally built as student housing complexes, I don't think any of them are "mostly students" any longer. 1. Does anyone know/believe any of these complexes to really still be mostly students? (It's not my understanding, but I welcome other perspectives.) 2. What other complexes in Harrisonburg were built to be student housing and now are not? | |
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67 Four Bedroom Townhouses on Lucy Drive Instead of 107 Apartments, Retail, and Office Space? |
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The owner of two parcels on Lucy Drive applied for a rezoning in mid-2018 to allow for a mixed use development that was to include (4) three to four level buildings with retail and offices on the first level and apartments on the upper levels. The (107) proposed apartments were intended to be (57) four-bedroom apartments, (37) three-bedroom apartments, (10) two-bedroom apartments and (3) one-bedroom apartments. That proposal was denied by City Council after 90 people showed up in opposition to the project. Now, the owners/developers are back with a new proposal -- 67 four bedroom townhouses. Here's the full packet of information that will be considered by the Harrisonburg Planning Commission this evening, Wednesday, March 13 at 7:00 PM. This property is zoned R-3, which allows for townhouses to be built -- but the zoning ordinance requires that each townhouse lot have frontage on a public street, and the owner is applying for a variance to allow 32 of the planned 67 townhouses to not have frontage on a public street. Basically, if all townhouses need to have frontage on a public street, they could only build half as many townhouses. If the City allows them to have a private street for access to the townhouses they can build many more (67?) townhouses on the same amount of acreage. In the information packet linked above you'll note that City staff points out that there have been quite a few townhouse developments approved in the past 20 years with private streets -- but almost all of those variances that were granted were for subdivisions that were conforming to the Comprehensive Plan's Land Use Guide and planned densities - while this land is intended (per the Comprehensive Plan) for "limited commercial use". Bottom line - City staff is recommending that the request for the variance (and thus the preliminary subdivision plat) be denied. If the Planning Commission makes a decision as to a recommendation to City Council at the meeting this evening, this proposal will then go before City Council on April 9 -- without a public hearing, since it is a request for a variance, not a rezoning. Read the Daily News Record article (from yesterday) about this topic here. | |
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49 More Detached Homes Coming To The Crossings |
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The Crossings, a neighborhood of detached homes straddling the City/County line, will be expanding - from 35 homes to 84 homes - after a slight rezoning of the land by Rockingham County. The first phase of the neighborhood included 35 building lots, most of which have been built upon and the homes sold. The new phase will include 49 home sites, with 40 of them in the County and nine in the City. Here's the site plan for the new phase... Here is a somewhat recent aerial view of the area -- from about two years ago -- when many but not all of the homes had been built... Dick Blackwell with Blackwell Engineering works with the developer and indicated at the Board of Supervisors meeting that the houses will cost about $200,000. That does seem possible given recent sales at The Crossings, many of which have been close to $200K... Looking a bit further at the metrics, we find that the median sales price of homes at The Crossings in 2018 was $226K... After lots of news of new rentals, condos and townhouses, it's nice to hear that some modestly sized/priced detached homes will be built in the near future as well! | |
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Rezoning Requested For 86 Condos on Boyers Road |
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Randy Cosner (Cosner Investments, LLC) is requesting the rezoning of 5.9 acres of a 10 acre parcel on Boyers Road to allow for 86 condominiums to be built. The property is currently zoned A2, and the proposed zoning is Planned Multi-Family. This would allow for 86 condos with 1, 2 or 3 bedrooms, for a total of 186 bedrooms in four separate buildings surrounding common areas. The full rezoning request can be found here. Here's what the proposed site plan would look like... Per the rezoning application, the development would be called Locust Grove Village and would "provide a unique living opportunity for those inclined toward the beneficial aspects of community and socialization in a rural setting." Here is a rendering of what the buildings might look like... A few details from the developer's narrative include... "Specifically, Locust Grove Village will house no more than 86 individual condominiums containing a mixture of 1-, 2-, and 3-bedroom units. Units will be clustered into four buildings of 20-22 units apiece, with a majority of these units having a ‘townhouse' style and appearance. Building ‘corners' will be comprised of six condominium units served by a common entry and stairwell. Each pair of buildings will encircle a central green, with each townhouse-style condo having direct access through their own private courtyard. Half of the corner units will have balconies/courtyards that face the common green (interior), while the other half will face the exterior." "The central greens will be improved with tasteful landscaping (mixture of trees and shrubbery), paved walkways, a central gazebo, charcoal grills, and benches, intended to promote resident interaction and sense of community. If desired by residents, allowances will be made for community gardens, to be maintained by the residents themselves, and thereby promoting a sense of pride and ownership within the community. Pedestrian connectivity between the greens will be provided through walkways and a mid-block crosswalk through the parking area." "In sum, Locust Grove Village is intended to serve a growing desirability for attractive, communal living opportunities within a rural setting. Through emphasis of common areas and promotion of interaction between residents, Locust Grove Village will position itself as the premier condominium-based community within Rockingham County." The Rockingham County Planning Commission reviewed this rezoning request at their January 2019 meeting. Their main concerns, per the minutes, seemed to be:
The rezoning request was unanimously tabled at the Planning Commission meeting. We'll have to wait and see if the request will be reviewed and discussed again, but at this point these condos "might be" built -- because the rezoning has not yet been approved. | |
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32 Townhouses To Be Built on Boyers Road |
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Randy Cosner is planning to build 32 townhouses on 2.741 acres on Boyers Road as shown above. Below is the intended site layout, which includes common areas with a fenced tot lot playground and a picnic area with benches and a fire pit. The townhouses are to be built similar to the rendering below. Of note -- it is not clear whether these townhouses will be sold to individual buyers, sold to investors to then be rented, or retained by the builder to be rented. The townhouses pictured below are located on Leslie Court, located off of Vine Street, near its intersection with North Main Street. All 24 townhouses built on Leslie Court were purchased by investors (a total of perhaps four entities) and all 24 townhouses are now rented. ![]() If you have driven by this location (Boyers Road) anytime recently you will have seen that all of the trees have cleared to prepare for construction. | |
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156 Apartments To Be Built on Reservoir Street |
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Well, it looks like another 156 apartments will be built on Reservoir Street, just outside of the City limits in Rockingham County. The Board of Supervisors recently approved a rezoning of this 6.302 acres to essentially be a second phase of the Robinson Park apartments immediately adjacent to this new project. Per the Daily News Record the 156 apartment complex will be comprised of:
Apparently, the complex will also include a clubhouse and outdoor pool. Further review of the minutes from the January 23, 2019 meeting of the Board of Supervisors offers these insights...
So, there you have it. More apartments coming soon on Resevoir Street... which may or may not make Harrisonburg a place young alums can call home for decades... | |
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Making Harrisonburg A Place Young Alums Can Call Home For Decades |
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![]() I recently lamented that most new housing that is being built is student housing or rentals -- as opposed to homes that can be purchased by homeowners. And the "why" is because of the highest and best use for development land... "So long as there are student housing, rental housing or mixed use developers willing to buy land at a high price/acre AND/OR as long as owners of development land are willing to hold out for that high price/acre -- then land is not likely to be sold to developers or builders at a price/acre that would allow them to build homes for buyers to buy." Katherine took it one step further (thanks Katherine!) to draw home the "so what" of my observation... "Students are a lucrative and seemingly inexhaustible market, but it's short-sighted not to give some thought to how we can keep more young alumni in the community after graduation. Attractive, affordable starter homes are a piece of this puzzle, as are businesses and services geared toward professionals rather than college students. (And good jobs are, too, of course.) Excessive catering to the student population will make Harrisonburg a town people "remember fondly," not one they call home for decades." I agree wholeheartedly with this sentiment -- I want Harrisonburg to be a town that young alums can call home for decades. As Katherine points out, this is not just about housing - but housing is certainly a big part of it. It is not immediately clear what this could / should mean for the City of Harrisonburg -- but I do think we could look back 10 years from now and lament the fact that there weren't enough new developments built to allow for young alums to settle into jobs, buy their first home, and start establishing this as their home for decades. | |
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Harrisonburg, The City With The Planned Future, Plans Their Future |
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![]() City Council members and top City administrators and planners invested time in planning a future for the City of Harrisonburg at a three day retreat last weekend, with an eye towards Harrisonburg 20 years from now -- in 2039. That vision includes establishing Harrisonburg as the "capital of the Shenandoah Valley". Extensive conversations took place about education (including the new high school) and a comprehensive housing plan (including affordable housing and homelessness). Read much, much more about the retreat, conversations, outcomes and priorities over at The Citizen... If you care about the future of the City of Harrisonburg, read the article above, and give some thought to how you can be an active part of making the future of Harrisonburg brighter. | |
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Scott Rogers
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Estate Group
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scott@funkhousergroup.com
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