Zoning
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The ZONING map layer is quite helpful in the Rockingham County GIS |
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 If I knew the Rockingham County GIS had such a helpful ZONING layer, I forgot about it temporarily. Thanks for the reminder, Todd Rhea. When you're in the GIS, just go to "Map Layers" (tab at the top) and then "Zoning and Districts" (group on the left) and then turn on "Zoning". This can be helpful for you to examine when considering the purchase of a home out in the County (what is the land surrounding this property zoned?) or if you are considering the purchase of land or development purposes. Check it out in the Rockingham County GIS. | |
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Walmart is NOT coming to Mt Clinton Pike |
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 click here for a larger image Back in July of 2014, City Council unanimously approved a rezoning request for a grocery store to be built at Mount Clinton Pike and North Main Street. That is no longer in the works. As outlined in this week's Daily News Record Article (Proposed Walmart Fizzles Out) the rezoning request had been for a Walmart Neighborhood Market, but Walmart is no longer purchasing the property and the land is back on the market. | |
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Rezoning Approved for 8 Acre Commercial Development on Port Republic Road |
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 As suspected a few years ago, the location of the new hospital (now Sentara RMH Medical Center) did indeed bring with it plenty of additional commercial (and residential) development in its immediate vicinity. Earlier this week, the Board of Supervisors approved a rezoning request for "Coffman's Corner" -- a new commercial development intended to be developed at the intersection of Stone Spring Road and Port Republic Road, and with frontage on Ridgedale Road. It is a small, and somewhat irregularly shaped piece of land, so much so that it won't have a VDOT road system -- it will have private roads, maintained by a Property Owners Association. County staff approved this rezoning in February 2014, and the Planning Commission on March 4, 2014. This property is across the street (more or less) from The Reserve at Stoneport, an upscale apartment complex currently being constructed. Per the developer's narrative....
Board OKs Land For Development (Daily News Record, March 28, 2014) Details from the Rockingham County Board of Supervisors Agenda Packet | |
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Ice House in Downtown Harrisonburg to feature brewery, jewelry manufacturing facility |
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 Construction is under way on the Ice House in downtown Harrisonburg, to feature apartments, office space, and more. Earlier this week, City Council approved two special use permits for the Ice House earlier this week, one for a jewelry manufacturing business (6000 SF, to include retail and showroom space), and the second for a brewery (9000 SF, to include a tasting room and bottling distribution section). Read more about it in the March 13, 2014 Daily News Record article. | |
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The Village at Chicago Park approved for development |
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 Earlier this month, City Council approved a proposed project on Chicago Avenue that will include 15 residences --- 9 single family homes and six duplexes.  Per the developers narrative provided to the Planning Commission.... The Village at Chicago Park intent is for environmentally friendly, relatively small mixed residential development with single-story and two-story homes with footprints from 1,500 sq-ft to 2,100 sq-ft under roof.  Click here to review all of the details from the developer's presentation to the Planning Commission. | |
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Slightly Revised Preston Lake Proposal |
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 Slightly revised documents related to this evening's meeting for the proposed rezoning / expansion of Preston Lake.
Some notable items, some of which are changes, some are not.... There will be a divider between the apartments and the remainder of the community.
The quantity of each type of dwelling could change from this proposed plan.
The order and timing of the development each type of housing is unknown.
There has been some discussion of how Preston Lake would get to the point of having a community center and pool.
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Preston Lake developer seeks approval for expansion, higher density |
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 Preston Lake, a large mixed use development east of Harrisonburg began selling homes in 2008, was foreclosed on by Wells Fargo in 2011, and was then acquired by a developer out of Maryland in 2012. Tomorrow night, the developer will present a proposal to the Planning Commission and Board of Supervisors to make several changes to the community, including most notably:
[1] Proposed Addition of 336 Apartments As shown below, the corner of the property that is bisected by the new Southeast Connector Road is proposed to change from being single family homes and townhouses, to being two large apartment buildings.  [2] Proposed Addition of 76 Quads As shown below, the intended soccer field and walking trails are proposed to be replaced by 76 quads --- single level villas. The location of the park would then be adjusted as well. This expansion/revision utilizes a portion of the adjacent property already owned by the developer.  [3] Proposed Reconfiguration of Townhouses As shown below, the townhouses intended to be built along Massanetta Springs Road are proposed to be rearranged a bit, and expanded from 55 townhouses to 66.  [4] Townhouses and More Townhouses As shown below, additional townhouses are being proposed adjacent to the already expansive townhouse section that surrounds the large Village Green. This expansion/revision utilizes a portion of the adjacent property already owned by the developer.  [5] Expanded Single Family Home Section As shown below, an adjacent property owned by the new developer is proposed to be added into the overall Preston Lake development.  Here are some pertinent documents that I obtained from the County that will be presented and discussed at the public hearing....
If these changes to the Preston Lake master plan impact you, definitely plan to attend the Public Hearing tomorrow (Dec 18, 2013) at 6:30 PM to let your voice be heard. | |
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Rockingham County to build 65 acre park East of Harrisonburg? |
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 Click on the image above for a larger version. Rockingham County may trade the remainder of Albert Long Park on Reservoir Street (downsized by the SouthEast Connector) for a much larger parcel on Route 33 East (shown above). If this deal goes through (which depends on a rezoning being approved) this would be a much larger park for Rockingham County! Click here to read the full details in the April 29, 2013 DNR article. | |
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THE ICE HOUSE, an innovative mixed-use redevelopment project in Downtown Harrisonburg is officially underway |
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    Local developers, Barry Kelley and Andrew Forward, are at it again -- transforming a downtown structure into an inspiring new space. Some of Barry and Andrew's past projects include City Exchange, Urban Exchange and The Walton Hotel. VISION - Some of the ideas that have been discussed for The Ice House include:
 LOCATION - The Ice House will be a transformation of the former Cassco ice plant located at 217 S. Liberty Street. As you can see, it's not a very exciting sight right now....  ZONING - The City of Harrisonburg has approved a rezoning request for 217 S. Liberty Street and the adjacent building, 115 W. Bruce Street. HISTORICAL TAX CREDITS; GRANT - One of the only reasons that this project is able to move forward is because of the historical tax credits available for the project. INDUSTRIAL REVITALIZATION FUND GRANT - Harrisonburg received a $500,000 grant from the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development's Industrial Revitalization Fund. This grant is effectively a low-cost loan that will be available for the development of The Ice House. COMMERCIAL TENANTS - Conversations are ongoing, but James Madison University has confirmed that they will occupy some of the space in The Ice House. One of the JMU offices that will relocate to The Ice House is communications, marketing and public affairs. Additional current plans for the commercial space include a restaurant, a mint operation and a yoga studio. SCOPE, TIMING - The transformation of this 80,000 square foot building is estimated to cost $10 million and the aim is to have it substantially complete by the end of 2014. STATUS - A detailed master plan is currently being developed to include 217 S. Liberty Street, 115 W. Bruce Street, as well as a 104-space parking lot on a parcel diagonally across West Bruce Street.  | |
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76 Townhouses, Event Center planned for Massanetta Springs Road |
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 Lakeview Development Corporation (who own and operate Lakeview Golf Course) are planning to build 76 townhouses and an Event Center on the edge of the golf course near the intersection of Massanetta Springs Road and Shen Lake Drive (as shown above). According to information compiled by Rockingham County staff: "The proposed development consists of townhouses along a curvilinear roadway that follows the topography of the site. A new access point from Massanetta Springs Road would be constructed and a traffic circle woudl be placed near the entrance to the new development."The proposed proffers offer some helpful details:
View details of the proposed rezoning and development here. | |
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Business Garden Proposal: Allowing Horticultural Businesses on Residential Property |
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 The City of Harrisonburg seems to have made some quick progress towards trying to figure out a reasonable way to allow for what some call urban farming. The new proposal would allow "business gardens" on any/all residentially zoned properties so long as the business garden regulations are followed. MEMORANDUM To: Harrisonburg Planning Commission From: Adam Fletcher, City Planner RE: Horticultural Businesses on Residential Property Date: Friday, Jan 4, 2013 After taking into consideration the comments from Planning Commission and the public last month regarding the issue of allowing horticulture-related businesses on residential property, and in performing more research on the matter, staff has prepared language to begin receiving additional feedback on how to address this use. (To our new Commission members, please review the draft minutes from the December meeting regarding this issue beginning on page 17). In brief, we are proposing identifying this practice as a "business garden" having a definition that includes being classified as a home occupation. The definition also includes a reference to Article BB, a proposed new article of the Zoning Ordinance that would outline the use regulations and requirements. In this proposal, since it would be classified as a home occupation, business gardens would be allowed by-right in every district that allows home occupations—essentially that would be all residentially zoned property, and as proposed, also in the B-1 district. Staff will be in contact with interested individuals before next Wednesday's meeting so they are aware that draft language has already been prepared and ready for feedback. Staff will soon post the draft language on the City's website and reach out to the media and utilize social networking to draw attention to the matter to get as much feedback as possible. At next week's meeting, Planning Commission can decide whether they want to hold a special worksession to further talk about this matter. If Planning Commission is interested in getting this matter to public hearing as soon as possible (which would be in February), staff must have an advertisement prepared by Thursday, January 24th. Such an accelerated schedule may not provide enough time for public input. However, not holding a public hearing in February, but rather March, means interested individuals, if all amendments were approved accordingly, could not operate their business until April 24th. If you have questions before next Wednesday, please let us know. Click here to view the details of the Business Garden Proposal. | |
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Should Harrisonburg allow Urban Farming? |
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 Sam Frere and Dan Warren are running what would seem to be a small farm (Collicello Gardens) at their property on Collicello Street in Harrisonburg. Their landlord is supportive, as are the people who are buying the produce that they grow. But there is one small hitch --- Sam and Dan cannot obtain a business license from the City of Harrisonburg because horticulture is not an allowable use on a residential property. City Planning Staff has prepared an ordinance that would allow for such uses on residential properties in the City, but they (City Staff) have decided not to recommend the ordinance. Read LOTS more about this issue.....
Attend the Planning Commission meeting on Wed, Dec 12 at 7PM in City Council Chambers to express your opinions on urban farming in Harrisonburg. Learn more about Collicello Gardens on Facebook. | |
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A glimpse into a rezoning request, via Aspen Heights |
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 Aspen Heights is a planned college student housing community on Port Republic Road. Or, as described by the Aspen Heights marketing team.... A neighborhood of craftsman homes with all the convenience and amenities of a luxury multi-family dwelling complex.  To its credit, this does seem to be a notably different type of community compared to most other college housing complexes in Harrisonburg. That said, it is being built amidst (adjacent to) several existing single family home neighborhoods (Ashly Meadows, Stone Spring Village) and those homeowners have a vested interest in it being a well-planned community. This PDF (from the Rockingham County Planning Commission's April 2012 meeting) gives some insight into the Rockingham County rezoning process, showing some very detailed information including:
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Site Plan for Aspen Heights, Stone Spring Courtyard, Campus View Condos |
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It has become a part of my routine to take a look through the City of Harrisonburg Planning Commission board packets, as these are available for public consumption, and often have some interesting insights into forthcoming developments in the City of Harrisonburg. Read on for some highlights of what will be discussed during the October 10, 2012 meeting (at 7PM). Above is the site plan for Aspen Heights which is the new gated student housing complex being built on Port Republic Road. View more details on their Facebook page or web site. Per the site plan, there will be 183 buildings with a total of 600 bedrooms.  Above is the site plan for Stone Spring Courtyard (here as a PDF) the new luxury gated apartment community on Port Republic Road.  Above is the revised, proposed site plan for Campus View Condos (here as a PDF) showing the new layout of buildings as proposed by the new developer of the complex. The original developer was foreclosed on, and the new developer is proposing to 108 apartments in 8 buildings, instead of the same number of units 9 buildings. View the full Planning Commission board packet (and from previous meetings) here. | |
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No more than 2 unrelated people can live in an R-1 property in Harrisonburg |
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Visit the City Council chambers today at 4PM for a (potentially) lively discussion about the R-1 zoning classification in the City of Harrisonburg. Here's a summary....
Read more....
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New hospital, road infrasture lead to new developments along Port Republic Road |
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 Click on the map above to view a larger version. In the past several years we have seen quite a few changes on Port Republic Road on the map shown above, including:
All of this new road infrastructure, plus the new hospital, plus a clustering of residential developments over the past 15-20 years has lead to quite a few new projects labeled on the map above.
Given the new hospital, the new road infrastructure, and the large area of existing housing, it is not surprise that we are seeing these new developments along Port Republic Road. Stoneport is the largest of the new projects, and it will certainly be interesting to see what businesses are established in that location. | |
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New gated luxury community for JMU students on Port Republic Road? |
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 Aspen Heights LLC, is attempting to rezone a 23-acre parcel of land on Port Republic Road (shown above) for a gated, luxury community for students. The city has some doubts, per the Daily News Record article, which seem to include the current glut of student housing in Harrisonburg, as well as the surrounding largely owner occupied neighborhoods.  Some of the student housing developments that Aspen Heights, LLC has built (yes, the photo above is a student housing development) seem quite nice. View photos of their communities, their current locations, and what they believe sets them apart as a student housing community. This Tuesday there will be a Planning Commission meeting to discuss this potential rezoning. In other related student housing news, you'll notice some new student housing popping up on Stone Spring Road near the RMH Wellness Center. | |
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Should Local Government Make Rezoning Decisions Based On Market Conditions? |
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 In my opinion, there is already more than enough college student in Harrisonburg. That said, a developer will soon be starting a new student housing complex on South Main Street near Valley Lanes. So....maybe Harrisonburg needs a student housing moratorium? Joe Fitzgerald states (at the link above) "We can't flat out ban student housing, but we can stop rezoning more land for it." I never considered that a moratorium on rezoning could be enacted. Several questions then come to my mind.... Is local government overstepping its bounds to create such a moratorium (via *not* rezoning)? Perhaps not --- local government wouldn't be prohibiting development, just the rezoning for development. So, local government is now making rezoning decisions based on market conditions? Isn't a landowner entitled to make that part of the decision? If a surplus of student housing creates a burden on the locality in some way (based on the new use or non-use of the old student housing??) then perhaps local government ought to factor in market conditions? What does this sort of a moratorium look like? Is this an unspoken stance of local government? Or a drafted and approved policy? Could this be challenged legally? So, perhaps this all comes back to property owner rights? Certainly, a property owner has the right to use or develop their property as the zoning ordinances allows them to do so. But does a property owner have any rights when it comes to rezoning? Are there reasonable, and unreasonable factors that can and cannot be used in a zoning decision? Weight in if you have an opinion -- this raises more questions than answers for me. | |
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The State Of The Massanutten Resort Real Estate Market |
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Yesterday's Daily News Record featured an article on the short term rental situation at Massanutten Resort. The latest update is that: "The Rockingham County Planning Commission is scheduled to continue a hearing it began in November about a zoning ordinance amendment, which, if approved by the Board of Supervisors, will allow the rentals and, in theory, end the debate." It has been an interesting four years (wow --- four years) that this debate has been going on, and it made me stop to think about the state of the Massanutten Resort housing market. Below is a brief summary of changes in that market over the past four years, within the context of the Harrisonburg and Rockingham County housing market as a whole.  As can be seen above, Massanutten has seen a steady decline in the number of home sales taking place in each of the past four years. That said, the Harrisonburg and Rockingham County market have seen a very similar decline. The only deviation here is that the Massanutten market continued to decline rather significantly (35% drop) between 2008 and 2009 while the rate of decline slowed down somewhat in the Harrisonburg and Rockingham County market as a whole (13% drop).  The graph above shows changes in the median sales price of homes in the Massanutten Resort market as compared to changes in median sales price for the market as a whole. The difference is staggering! Harrisonburg and Rockingham County have seen a median sales price decline of 3.4% over the past four years. During the same time period, Massanutten Resort has suffered a 16% decline in median sales price. It's impossible to know how much of a correlation exists between the soft Massanutten Resort market and the short term rental issue, but I believe this issue has certainly played some role in the changes depicted above. Also . . . enjoy the second edition of Harrisonburg Real Estate Radio: Assessments via Harrisonburg Real Estate Radio [11:55] | |
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How Much Undeveloped Land Is Left In Harrisonburg? |
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 Using data provided by the City of Harrisonburg, the information below is what I am finding on vacant land in the City of Harrisonburg. Bear in mind that there is a bit more vacant land than referenced below, but I chose to exclude land owned by educational institutions, local government, religious organizations, state government. Vacant Land In Harrisonburg:
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Scott Rogers
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