The City of Harrisonburg is in the midst of updating the Comprehensive Plan for the City.  As per the City....

The Comprehensive Plan presents a vision of Harrisonburg's future. It identifies steps to move toward that vision by providing information about current conditions, long-term goals and objectives, and recommended implementation strategies. As described in the Code of Virginia, the Comprehensive Plan is general in nature. Harrisonburg's Plan addresses a wide range of issues including but not limited to: land use, housing, education, transportation, recreation, the preservation of historic and natural resources, and economic development. The plan serves as a long-term guide for the community, and it helps City leaders with setting policies and decision-making.

So, basically, what do you want the City of Harrisonburg to be in 10 or 20 years?  Discussions taking place and decisions being made right now will affect that future, and you have the opportunity to be a part of the conversation!

Better yet -- there are several Public Workshops coming up that will allow you to chime in on topics near and dear to your heart....

Education; Arts, Culture, and Historic Resources; and Community Engagement & Collaboration
Thursday, October 19 at 6pm    
Lucy F. Simms Center    

Environmental Stewardship & Sustainability; Parks & Recreation; and Community Infrastructure, Services, Safety & Health
Monday, October 23 at 6pm    
Thomas Harrison Middle School    

Economic Development & Tourism; and Revitalization
Monday, October 30 at 6pm    
Thomas Harrison Middle School    

Land Use & Development Quality; Neighborhoods & Housing; Transportation
Monday, November 13 at 6pm    
Thomas Harrison Middle School    

Workshops on October 19, 23, and 30 will run about two (2) hours. The November 13 workshop will run about 2.5 hours.

So, mark your calendars, and get involved in the discussions and decisions to help shape the future our our great City!

Also of note....

Lots of Q&A's about the Comprehensive Plan update can be found here.

General information about the Comprehensive Plan update can be found here.
 

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OK -- Take 2 -- Based on some feedback, in smaller price increments this time....

Forget about what actually SELLS in any given timeframe, or even what is available FOR SALE at any given point in time.  Let's get down to what housing actually EXISTS in the City of Harrisonburg.

The graph above shows the number of single family detached homes (Use Code 006 in the City's property database) that exist in the City of Harrisonburg in (120 different price ranges.  The homes are sorted into these price categories based on their 2017 assessed values.

So -- what surprises you? 

If more single family homes are to be built in the City, what price range should they fit into?
 

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OK, OK, that's probably not true -- Harrisonburg probably does not have an infinite need for student housing.  Just consider my title, then, to be an intro to all of the alternative perspectives that have been shared with me since I wrote these two posts....

Does Harrisonburg need more Off Campus Student Housing?

Does New College Student Housing Increase the Demands on Local Elementary Schools?

OK -- here goes -- all the reasons I might be wrong, and all of this new student housing might be OK, or even a good thing....

1.  JMU is growing!
All of this student housing is necessary -- JMU is continuing to grow, and they are not building on campus fast enough for their growth, so the private sector must build and rent housing to students in order to meet that growing demand. 

2.  Denying growth just pushes it elsewhere.
If the City decided to stop permitting new student housing communities to be built, that would just push developers to build them in the County, or push students to live in otherwise owner occupied neighborhoods.

3.  This is an affordable way to get workforce housing.
There isn't much truly affordable rental housing being built -- and older student housing complexes being effectively turned into workforce housing by virtue of students being attracted to new student housing communities is not necessarily a bad thing.  It may be the most affordable way to create affordable or workforce housing.

4.  Bring on the wrecking ball.
If even more student housing is built, the rental rates will fall even lower on the oldest complexes, devaluing those properties to the point where it will make sense to just knock them down and build new housing -- thus, eliminating the older, outdated housing. 

5.  How much regulation do you want "the government" to do?
If the government (planning commission, city council, staff) should start making judgement calls about how much student housing is too much student -- and thus regulating what landowners (and student housing developers) can and cannot do -- should they also start governing other segments of the private sector?  Should they regulate how many hair salons exist?  How many banks are permitted to operate?  How many restaurants can open?  How many Realtors can sell homes?  :)

OK -- again -- I don't necessarily agree with all of the perspectives above, but I believe it is important to consider these counterpoints when thinking about how our community should be planning for the future as it pertains to student housing, land use, property taxes, schools, etc.

And, as I mentioned to a reader in response to their comments....

I don't know if new student housing projects should or should not be denied - but I think the local community needs to fully understand the impact of continuing to approve more student housing communities.

If older student housing communities become workforce housing, great, no problem -- but let's realize that this is the result of approving new student housing communities, and make sure that infrastructure (schools, for example) are in place for the new workforce housing that we have indirectly created.
 

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Traditional logic would say no -- the construction of new college student housing in Harrisonburg won't increase the load on elementary schools, as most college students do not have elementary school aged children....

Going a step further, I would guess that some local government staff and elected officials MIGHT (?) use this traditional logic when thinking about whether to approve rezonings, or other approvals, for new student housing to be built in the Harrisonburg area.

But wait - what if the following sequence happens (thanks Deb, with some revisions)....

• Shiny new student housing is built.
• College students flock to the new living options.
• Vacancy rates increase at older, run down student housing complexes.
• Families start moving into older student housing complexes.
• These families increase the elementary school aged population.
  
• Local elementary schools have more students to educate.
  

I think we have seen this happen over the past 20 years in Harrisonburg, in cycles, as large quantities of student housing is built in waves. 

And think about it, from the other direction, for a moment -- we all know that the local elementary school population is growing -- but why, and where? It's not as if local developers and builders are out building an extraordinary number of townhomes or starter homes for young families, causing an influx of new elementary school students.  So -- if the elementary school population is rising, and it's not because of an increase in the stock of owner occupied real estate in Harrisonburg, then....

1.  Perhaps this elementary (or K-12, really) school enrollment growth is, contrary to what we'd otherwise believe, a direct result of an increase in college student housing.

2.  Perhaps we need to think about the fiscal impact of educating more elementary (and then middle and high) school students when we think about approving yet another student housing complex.

3.  Perhaps, if building new student housing when we might not really need it, leads to increased demands on our local K-12 schools, then maybe we need to pay more attention to whether that student housing is needed.

Just some thoughts to ponder as we think about and plan for the future here in the City of Harrisonburg -- and Rockingham County.

 

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With great regularity, potential buyers (either investors or parents of JMU students) will ask if a single family home can be purchased and rented to a group of JMU students -- often an intended group of four or more students.

I let them know that it will be no problem at all -- the adjoining property owners in the quaint neighborhood probably won't mind as long as the students aren't too bothersome -- and the City doesn't mind at all if their zoning ordinances are violated, so long as it's just "nice college kids"....

WAIT!  NOT REALLY!  READ ON!!!!

It seems that some buyers are really getting that feedback of "sure, it will be fine" -- though I'm not sure if they're getting it from their Realtor, or from someone else advising them in the transaction, or if they just aren't thinking about whether their planned use of a property is allowable.

The REAL answer, and the feedback that I ACTUALLY provide to my clients is....

1.  We need to check to see how this property is zoned, and whether that zoning classification allows for that number of unrelated people to live in the property.

2.  We need to check to see if there are recorded restrictive covenants for this neighborhood that restrict the number of unrelated people who live in the property.

A few notes....

1.  Most single family homes in the City of Harrisonburg are zoned R-1 or R-2 and do NOT allow for three or more unrelated people (students or otherwise) to live in the property.

2.  If a property has been used in a non-conforming manner (for example, four students living in it) since before the zoning ordinance was put in place, without a 24 month gap in the non-confirming us, it MIGHT be possible to continue to use the property in that non-conforming manner.

And, if #2 above is starting to get confusing, then we arrive at my main reason for writing today....

CALL COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT TO UNDERSTAND ALLOWED USE OF A PROPERTY!

Yes, in fact, there are very helpful City staff in the Community Development department -- who can very quickly help you understand whether a property can be legally used as you intend to use it. 

And it is imperative that you make this call BEFORE you buy the property, and even BEFORE you make an offer on the property!
 

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Per a reader's request, I have updated this super-long historical context of real estate tax rates in the City of Harrisonburg. 

This graph can be a bit deceiving in its attempts towards being legible -- the y-axis does not start at zero.  As such, it makes some of the historical tax rates (around $0.60) seem closer to zero than they really are. 

That said, the trajectory of the real estate tax rate over the past five-ish years is quite striking in a historical context.

OF NOTE -- the 2017 value ($1.025 per $100 of assessed value) is a proposed, not approved, tax rate.
 

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Take a few minutes to fill out this 19-question survey about the Harrisonburg area that will ask you about yourself, your internet use and our shopping habits.  This survey is being used to determine what gaps exist in what is being provided by local retailers, with the hopes of using the data to attract further retailers to our area and to enhance existing businesses.

Read on from the Daily News Record....

Survey Seeks Data To Lure Retailers

Olive Garden is here. Whaddaya want next?

That is one of the questions Harrisonburg and Rockingham County economic development officials want area residents to answer over the next 13 days to help provide data for a regional retail market analysis.

Community Land Use + Economics Group, an Arlington firm with experience in economic analysis, strategy and implementation, and business development, is compiling data local leaders hope can help them lure new retailers to the area and enhance existing businesses.

As part of that effort, city and county residents are being asked to complete a 19-question survey themselves, including internet use and shopping habits. Those completing the survey, available at surveymonkey.com/r/CVCRW6Y, are eligible to win tickets to Massanutten Water Park or $50 in downtown dollars.

The survey is being conducted to find out what local retailers are and aren't providing that residents want.

"What we really want to know is, ‘Are you going elsewhere right now for retail services? Who are we losing to other markets? Why are they filling a need Harrisonburg is not filling?'" said Peirce Macgill, Harrisonburg's assistant director of economic development. "We want to find out what businesses residents are going elsewhere for, because they should be a target for the commercial brokerage community."

Michele Bridges, Rockingham County's economic development and tourism manager, said the information gathered can be used to let certain businesses know they have a market here or encourage existing retailers to carry specific items people buy elsewhere.

"It's really just to strengthen our retail experience here in the Harrisonburg-Rockingham County area," she said.

The analysis is a public-private effort that leveraged a state grant.

The Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development awarded the city a $15,000 Building Entrepreneurial Economies planning grant for the study. The city, county, James Madison University and Harrisonburg Downtown Renaissance combined to provide a $7,000 match, and the Shenandoah Valley Small Business Development Center has provided technical support.

In addition to finding out what local residents are buying elsewhere, Bridges said Rockingham is focused on information that can be used in the development of three major shopping areas: Stone Port Retail Plaza, the commercial space at Preston Lake, and the retail frontage at Rockingham Park at The Crossroads.

Those three commercial developments in the county's urban growth area represent significant, immediate opportunities to land retailers and grow Rockingham's tax base.

The Harrisonburg market's demographics are skewed, Macgill noted, by the high concentration of college students.

The city's median income, a key data point many retailers use in determining where to set up shop, is lower than the state average. That's deceiving, though, because many college students have cash to spend, so the market's strength is hidden somewhat by the top-line number.

"It's a matter of how can we better tell the Harrisonburg story beyond household income and what the traffic counts are," he said. "A lot of times, we're not on radar [of some retailers] to get a serious look."

Capturing information on what local residents are buying out-of-town, Macgill and Bridges noted, can be shared with city and county retailers that might be able to add the items to their shops. If area business already have the items, they can be alerted that they're losing part of the market.

The survey is the final stage of the analysis data-gathering process.

Already, Macgill said, about 800 JMU students have completed a similar survey. The consultant also spent two days here last month meeting with stakeholders and checking out the community.

The CLUE Group officials, Macgill said, left Harrisonburg with a potential marketing and development angle for Duke's Plaza.

"They were pleasantly surprised by the number of what appears to be immigrant-owned businesses in Duke's Plaza," he said. "They were intrigued at how we could take advantage of that, the immigrant niche businesses."

The final report from CLUE Group is due in late July. Macgill said an implementation grant has been applied for that would allow efforts to begin immediately to leverage the study's information into growth opportunities for local businesses.

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Have you heard?  There are more high school students to be taught in Harrisonburg than can readily fit inside of the high school!

There are three options being considered:

• Built an Annex (+800 students, $48M)
• Build an Addition (+800 students, $45M)
• Build a School (+1300 students, $88M - $100M)
  

A rendering of the potential ANNEX from Mosely Architects....



A rendering of the potential ADDITION from Mosely Architects....



There are pros and cons of each option, but the High School Space Study Committee has recommended building a new high school.

But YOUR OPINION is wanted, needed, welcomed!

Click here to read up on the options, pros and cons.

Click here to voice your opinion.

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  click the image above for a larger version of this photo

Construction is moving right along on Bluestone Elementary, being built on Garbers Church Road across from Harrisonburg High School. 

Excerpts follow from an April 23, 2016 Daily News Record article....

• "Bluestone is meant to alleviate overcrowding within the division, especially at Skyline and Thomas Harrison middle schools."
   
  
• "Once the school opens in fall 2017, Kizner said that fifth-graders will no longer attend the middle schools and will instead continue attending their respective elementary schools."
   
  
• "The $25.9 million facility will sit on 10.8 acres across the street from Harrisonburg High School and adjacent to Heritage Oaks Golf Course. It will be 112,000-square-feet and consist of three floors."
  

View the final Elementary School Redistricting Plan here.
 

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Here is a grand oversimplification:

• Harrisonburg High School is filled beyond capacity.
• The school-aged population in the City of Harrisonburg is continuing to grow.
• The high school needs to be expanded or a new high school built.
• Any such expansion or new build will be very expensive.
• This large expense is likely to be paid for primarily via an increase in real estate taxes.
  

So, then, how much will real estate taxes increase? 

As shown above, it depends on the value of your home.  These examples are based on the potential need for a $0.175 increase (per $100 of assessed value) in the tax rate. 

Increasing the tax rate from $0.85 to $1.025 would result in....

• The owner of a $150K property paying $22 more per month.
• The owner of a $250K property paying $36 more per month.
• The owner of a $350K property paying $51 more per month.
• The owner of a $500K property paying $73 more per month.

So -- yes -- this would be a drastic increase (20.5%) one-year increase in the real estate tax rate.  But when broken down to the actual increased cost per month, it does not seem quite as overwhelming.

Further reading from the Daily News Record:

• 5/18: Second High School Option Gets Pushback
  
• 5/17: Board Gets Estimate On New School
• 5/15: School Board To Get New Building Cost

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     click the image above for a larger version

The apartment building shown above may soon be built on South Main Street at its intersection with East Weaver Avenue -- on the edge of the Purcell Park neighborhood....


     click the image above for a larger version


     click the image above for a larger version

This is a complicated issue, as outlined in the lengthy portion of the Planning Commission's packet addressing this potential rezoning.  This Wednesday, the developer will present their proposal to the Planning Commission, and neighboring property owners will likely also be making their case for why this rezoning (etc.) should not be approved.

Some highlights....

• The proposed mixed use building would have (22) one-bedroom apartments and commercial space - potentially a fast food restaurant.
   
  
• The properties would need to be rezoned from R-1 (Single Family Residential) and R-3 (Medium Density Residential) to R-5C (High Density Residential District Conditional) in order for this project to be constructed.
   
• The developer also needs to be approved for a special use permit for an apartment building with more than 12 units, and a special use permit to allow for the commercial use.
   
• If approved, the developer would raze (tear down) four existing buildings in order to build the mixed-use building.
   
  
• City staff does not think that low density residential uses facing South Main Street (a five-lane roadway with a 35 mph speed limit) are likely or practical.
   
• City staff is recommending approval of the requests for amending the Comprehensive Plan, rezoning the properties and issuing the special use permits.
  

The bottom line here seems to be that the property (properties) in question have high traffic count road frontage, yet also adjoin a low density residential neighborhood in the back.  Should the use of these properties continue to be low/medium density residential use as currently approved?  Or should the City allow the property owner to rezone them to allow for a much denser use of the land?

You can read the entire packet of information to be reviewed and considered by the Planning Commission here.

  

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Click on the image above for a PDF of this summary of the proposed 2017-18 Rockingham County budget.

As shown, this would require the real estate tax rate to increase from $0.70 to $0.74.  Which turns out to be less than the proposed increase in the City of Harrisonburg....


 
Read lots more about WHY the tax rate needs to increase here....

County Eyes More Taxes, Fees
Daily News Record, April 5, 2017

No Comments At Budget Hearing
Daily News Record, April 13, 2017

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The City of Harrisonburg has published their proposed 2017-18 budget, which includes a proposed increase in the real estate tax rate from $0.78 per $100 of assessed value to $0.85.  This would mark a 9% increase in the real estate tax rate in one year, and a 35% increase over a four year period.

A budget summary follows, or you can find the entire proposed budget here.


 

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Rockingham County's budget for the 2018 fiscal year (which begins July 1) includes a proposed $0.04 increase in the real estate tax rate, which would increase from $0.70 to $0.74 per $100 of assessed value.

Some context....

• It would appear that this $0.74 real estate tax rate may be the highest real estate tax ever levied on property owners in Rockingham County.  The previous high was $0.71, which was in place between 2000 and 2005.
  
  
• It seems that this will be the third consecutive year of increased taxes -- which will have jumped from $0.64 (2014) to $0.68 (2015) to $0.70 (2016) to $0.74 (2017). This will mark a 15.6% increase in the real estate tax rate over a three year period.
   
• The median sales price of homes in Rockingham County in 2016 was $203K.  If all homes were assessed at their market values, this $0.04 increase between 2016 and 2017 would equate to an annual increase of $81.20 in real estate tax on a median priced home.  This would be an increase of $6.76/month -- just a bit less than a Starbucks Venti, Quad-Shot Caramel Macchiato.
   
• Rockingham County held a public hearing this week and nobody (that's right, count them, zero people) made any comments about whether they thought it was OK for these tax rates to increase.
  

Read lots more about WHY the tax rate needs to increase here....

County Eyes More Taxes, Fees
Daily News Record, April 5, 2017

No Comments At Budget Hearing
Daily News Record, April 13, 2017

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The R-2 zoning classification was amended on December 15, 1998 to only allow up to two unrelated people in an R-2 zoned property.  Prior to that time, up to four unrelated people could have lived in the property.  All that said, if an R-2 zoned property was being inhabited by four unrelated people prior to that zoning change (12/15/1998) and has been ever since that time, without a 24 month gap, then it can continue to be used in that way.

Otherwise, if you own an R-2 zoned property, even if it has four bedrooms, even if it is close to the JMU campus, even if everybody else on the street rents their house out to four unrelated students, you cannot per the zoning ordinances.

Below is an excerpt of an article from the Daily News Record that discusses one property owner's request to the City to allow him to use an R-2 zoned property as a rental property for more than two unrelated people.  I think his request was reasonable, in some ways, based on the use of neighboring properties, but read on to discover what the City thought and what they decided.

Council Kills Special-Use Permit Request
By Tony Brown, Daily News-Record
March 16, 2017

HARRISONBURG - Ted Byrd played sheriff at Tuesday night's regular City Council meeting.

He deputized the other four council members and led a unanimous posse to gun down a petition for a special-use permit for an old house on Old South High Street downtown.

He said the property owner was trying to get out of breaking the law.

"This was an illegal use from the getgo," the lone Republican on council said. "Sometimes, you gotta draw the line. This is begging for forgiveness instead of asking for permission. We're either a body of laws, or not."

Byrd was so persuasive that he converted Democrat Richard Baugh, who did a complete 180 on the issue.

As the elected council's representative on the appointed Planning Commission, Baugh was part of a unanimous decision by the commission to recommend council approve the petition.

The city planning and zoning staff also is on record recommending the change.

Click here to read the entire article.

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The buildings shown above currently under construction on Reservoir Street -- at the previous location of the Albert Long baseball field.  These apartments will be called Robinson Park, and will affordable housing -- with income limits for tenants who wish to reside at Robinson Park.



The developer was planning to expand Robinson Park into a second phase on the five acre wooded parcel shown above, adjacent to the current development, but the County tabled the developer's rezoning request.

A few snippets from this week's Daily News Record article....

• The Board of Supervisors tabled a request Wednesday from Surber Development and Consulting LLC to rezone a 5.3-acre parcel on Reservoir Street from medium residential to general residential for phase two of Robinson Park apartments.
   
• The board wants more time to address concerns from fire and rescue and the sheriff's office, as well as potential public transportation issues.
   
• Surber Development plans to purchase the property once it has been rezoned.  The parcel at 2770 Reservoir St. is owned by the estate of Mary Madalene Lambert, who died in March. It is valued at $250,600, according to online real estate records. 
  

Read the full article here.


 

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You have the opportunity to have an impact on the future of the City of Harrisonburg! 

The Comprehensive Plan presents a vision of Harrisonburg's future. It identifies steps to move toward that vision by providing information about current conditions, long-term goals and objectives, and recommended implementation strategies.

Virginia requires that local Planning Commissions review their comprehensive plans once every five years.  The City of Harrisonburg last updated the plan in 2011 -- and last year (2016) the Planning Commission determined that it should be updated again.

Find out more about the Comprehensive Plan update process here.

Sign up to receive updates on the comprehensive plan process here.

Read the 2011 Comprehensive Plan here.

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The City of Harrisonburg School Board has approved the redistricting plan for the City elementary and middle schools to go into effect this coming (2017-18) school year.  The final public hearing took place this past Tuesday, and no members of the public spoke to provide any additional feedback about any further recommended changes.

Some excerpts from today's Daily News Record....

• The division must change its attendance boundaries to accommodate its new $25.9 million school, Bluestone Elementary School, which will open on Garbers Church Road next fall for up to 750 students.
   
• With the opening of Bluestone, fifth-graders will remain at their elementary schools instead of advancing to the middle schools.
   
• Most of Bluestone's future students now attend Keister Elementary. Students from Waterman and Spotswood will take the place of former Keister students.
  

Read the full DNR article here.

Download the full maps for the redistricting (and other notes) here.
 

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You can have a voice -- make your opinion known as to where the City of Harrisonburg should consider installing sidewalks and shared-use paths.



The Harrisonburg Public Works Department will be presenting a proposed Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan on November 16th at Keister Elementary School at 5:00 PM.

You can review the proposed plan here on the City's website.
 

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The forthcoming hotel and conference center being built on the edge of the JMU campus, held its ceremonial groundbreaking yesterday.  The project is due to be complete by March 2018. 

Read more in today's Daily News Record article, or read on for some highlights....

• The hotel will contained 230 rooms.
   
  
• The conference center will offer 21,000 - 2,000 square feet of meeting space.
   
  
• The developer is a JMU graduate, Paul Gladd with dpM Partners of Gaithersburg, MD.
   
• The hotel will feature 180 traditional rooms, 50 extended-stay rooms, a farm-to-table restaurant, a coffee bar and wine bar.
   
• The developer is paying $35M to build the hotel, while the JMU Foundation is loaning $11M to the Harrisonburg Industrial Development Authority to cover the cost of the conference center construction.  The JMU Foundation will be repaid with tax revenues generated by the facility.
  

There are quite a few more interesting details in today's Daily News Record article.
 

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