Planners OK downtown housing

Complex includes up to 100 student apartments

By Deb and Joe Fitzgerald

The Harrisonburg Planning Commission on Wednesday recommended approval of a large development, more than a year in the making, which has the potential to fundamentally change the look and feel of downtown.

The developer’s attorney, Clarke and Bradshaw’s Todd Rhea, said The Link complex would be a six-story building with up to 265 apartments and at least 2,000 square feet of commercial space. The proposal involves rezoning about 2.75 acres on the site of Lindsey Funeral Home and a nearby vacant office building. Rhea estimated 550 bedrooms total in the complex. The building would include a parking deck. It is now zoned for medium-density residential uses (R-3). If approved, zoning will change to central business district conditional (B-1C). The property is near the planned Downtown Park, and the applicant has agreed to coordinate access for park activities. When completed, the building would be about the same height as the Urban Exchange.

The applicant has made several proffers about the project. Some include:

• The building will follow specific design guidelines, with no drive-through businesses or parking lots between the building and public streets.

• Maximum of 265 units, with at least 25 percent being studios or one-bedroom apartments and no more than 40 percent being four-bedroom apartments targeting students.

• Provisions for future solar panels, at least 10 electric vehicle charging stations, and bicycle parking.

• At least 2,000 square feet of commercial area in the southeast corner (Paul Street and South Main Street), most likely coffee shops, pizza places, and no vape shops, Rhea said.

The city's comprehensive plan labels this area as mixed-use, which encourages residential and commercial combinations, and the proposed building meets this designation. It’s designed, in part, to appeal to college students due to its proximity to JMU and downtown. A traffic study found that the development would slightly impact local intersections, but not enough to require special improvements. The developer plans to extend Paul Street, which now ends at Main Street, to intersect with Liberty Street.

The parking deck will hold about 425 spaces, with up to 65 spaces reserved for rent by the city. Parking is not included in rent, so residents of the complex will choose whether to have a car. For the 4-bedroom “quad” units, each bedroom has their own bathroom and their own lease and will share a common area, as with many complexes renting to JMU students.

The proposed apartments are expected to add approximately 88 students to local public schools, including Keister Elementary, Thomas Harrison Middle School, and Harrisonburg High School. While It may be true that 88 or fewer K-12 students will come directly from The Link, that fails to account for young families moving into the student housing emptied as JMU students move into the newer housing. A combination of historical trends and an HCPS model suggests up to 172 K-12 students added because of the new development: 31 in the non-student apartments, and 140 from families moving into older student housing.

Commissioner Shannon Porter expressed concern that so much of the development will be primarily targeting students, as it absolves JMU of responsibility of housing students on its own campus, noting that the more pressing need is to have people who work here be able to live here. The response, in part, recognized that these are not subsidized but market-rate apartments, and JMU students provide the economic revenue that enables the rest of the complex. They are part of the market, and are willing to pay the rates.

The proposal was unanimously approved on a 6-0 vote, with one vacancy on the commission.

Commission members also considered an application to change the zoning of an 11,146-square foot property on 320 South Main Street from B-2 (General Business District) to B-1C (Central Business District Conditional). Currently, the building is about 4,670 square feet and has space for 12 tenants, some retail like Green Hummingbird, and Love Lenders, but mostly offices for counselors, therapists, and other commercial business. The property is across the street from the Community Foundation building. If approved, the property will continue operating as an office and commercial building.

In 1960, a permit for a one-story addition was approved, but the property could not be used commercially until it had 20 parking spaces. Today, zoning laws have different parking requirements and based on these rules, the building would need between 16 and 24 parking spaces.

Rezoning to B-1C would remove minimum parking requirements, allowing more flexibility for retail uses without adding extra parking.

This proposal was also unanimously approved on a 6-0 vote,

The Planning Commission will experience some significant turnover this year. The departure of members Brent Finnegan and Kate Nardi will leave two vacancies. In anticipation of these open seats, City Council appointed local architect Randall Seitz and local attorney Kenneth Kettler on July 8 to fill those unexpired terms. Commissioner Valerie Washington is preparing to move out of the area, and has also just resigned from the commission. Her slot will be filled by City Council in a future meeting. With the appointment of Shannon Porter this past January, the Planning Commission will finish the year with four of seven members newly appointed in 2025.