New Construction
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Harrisonburg Planning Commission To Consider 897 Unit Bluestone Town Center Proposal To Include 415 Apartments, 349 Townhomes, 133 Detached Homes |
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 The City of Harrisonburg Planning Commission will hold a public hearing tomorrow, Tuesday, January 17th as they consider a proposal called Bluestone Town Center which would include 897 residences on 90 acres.  In addition to 415 apartments, 349 townhomes and 133 detached homes, the master plan also proposes a community center, playground and retail shops. You can explore the proposed development further on the website put together by those seeking the rezoning... You can download the Planning Commission agenda here which includes links to all of the supporting documents for this rezoning application. It is likely to be a lively public hearing as there seem to be plenty of folks both supporting and opposing this proposal. Change.org Petition #1... Change.org Petition #2... Here are some other my thoughts and observations...
As details of this proposal have become increasingly available over the past few months... [1] I have had many conversations with people who are strongly in support of BTC because they want more affordable housing options to exist in the City. [2] I have had many conversations with people who are strong opposed to BTC because they are concerned about (among other things) what they see as a likely increase in City taxes to pay for the impact of this development. From here, the Planning Commission will review the proposal and make a recommendation to City Council... and then City Council will decide whether to approve this development in the City. The final decision by City Council (to approve or deny) will be a big decision that (regardless of the decision) will affect the future of the City for decades to come. | |
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376 Apartments In Three Buildings, With Clubhouse, Pool and Parking Deck Proposed For Peach Grove Avenue |
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 Lingerfelt Development, LLC is requesting a special use permit from the City of Harrisonburg to allow for the development of a 376 unit apartment complex on Peach Grove Avenue on a 9.9 acre parcel of land between The Hills (Southview) Apartments and the proposed 460 bedroom student housing complex, Peach Grove Shoppes. This new proposal for 376 apartments would include... [1] A minimum of 30% studio or one bedroom apartments [2] A maximum of 20% of three bedroom apartments [3] No apartments with more than three bedrooms Here's the proposed layout of the development...  The land for this proposed development is currently owned by the James Madison University Real Estate Foundation. Here's the location of the proposed development...  Read up on all of the details of this proposed development in the special use permit application packet here. 12/14/2022 - tabled by Planning Commission
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337 Homes Planned For Wingate Meadows On Pleasant Valley Road To Include 91 Detached Homes, 102 Duplexes, 144 Townhomes |
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 If you've driven by Wingate Meadows recently, you would see a new residential development under construction - in Rockingham County - at/near the intersection of Osceola Springs Road and Pleasant Valley Road. This new residential development is being built by Ryan Homes, will be called Wingate Meadows and the most recent site plan from Rockingham County (above) shows a layout that includes...
TBD on the pricing, though signage would suggest that homes will be in the $300K's. | |
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53 Townhomes Proposed Near Intersection Of East Market Street, Stone Spring Road |
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 A 53 unit townhome development is being proposed directly on East Market Street, just prior to the 7-11 gas station at the corner of East Market Street and Stone Spring Road when heading east. This residential development would be built on 4.43 acres that is currently zoned A-2 (general agriculture) and a rezoning is being proposed to allow for the residential development. Here's the proposed layout...  Rockingham County staff has some reservations about this proposed layout of this development because the development utilizes private streets (instead of public roads) and thus would not allow for connectivity between existing public roads and potential future public roads to be built on adjacent parcels. More specifically, from the County... "Privately maintained streets are an unreliable means of serving the long-term, publicly accessed street network that will be needed to serve all the land south and west of this site." Furthermore, the proposed layout (T turnaround) does not meet the requirements of the Rockingham County Fire Prevention Code. The Rockingham County Planning Commission considered this request on Tuesday, December 6th and tabled the proposal. Download the full rezoning application packet here. | |
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60 Townhouses And 34 Apartments Proposed For Corner(ish) Of North Main Street And Mount Clinton Pike |
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 A property owner has proposed the rezoning of a total of 12 separate real estate parcels near the intersection of North Main Street and Mount Clinton Pike to allow for the development of 60 townhouses and up to 34 apartments as shown on the conceptual plat above. In summary, City staff does not recommend that this proposal be approved Per the report, City staff does not think this project should be approved in this location at this time because they are concerned with: [1] the project not maximizing the site’s potential density; [2] the scale, design, and residential unit types clashing with the adjacent forthcoming commercial and planned mixed use spaces as well as the potential out of place context, detachment, or isolation of the residential neighborhood from the surrounding area; and [3] the overall precedent this development could establish for how the rest of the North Main Street and Mt. Clinton Pike corridors could develop. So, City staff basically thinks the property should be developed with greater density to include more housing units based on its location and surrounding present and potential future land uses. Update: Planning Commission split (3-3) on proposal. City Council to consider on December 13, 2022. | |
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67 Single Family Homes, 16 Duplexes Proposed For Town of Dayton |
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 The 10.5 acre tract shown above, located on the southwest corner of the town of Dayton may soon be home to a new residential development featuring 67 single family homes and 16 duplexes in eight duplex buildings. The property is currently zoned R-1 for single family home development, but a rezoning request has been submitted to rezone 3.2 acres to R-2 to allow for the duplexes described above. This rezoning is being proposed by Hope Community Builders who is under contract to purchase the land from its current owners. The rezoning request will be considered on Monday, November 14th at 6:00 PM at the Dayton Town Council and Planning Commission's joint public hearing. | |
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Updates On Proposed Residential Developments In Rockingham County |
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 BOYERS CROSSING September 2022 - Approved by Rockingham County Board of Supervisors ZEPHYR HILL September 2022 - Approved by Rockingham County Board of Supervisors THE GLEN AT COOKS CREEK August 2022 - Approved by Bridgewater Town Council AND MORE Find out about the many new developments and proposed developments here at HarrisonburgNewHomes.com. | |
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55 (More) Townhomes Proposed On Pear Street |
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 Just a short walk down Pear Street from where 33 townhomes are proposed there is now a new request for a rezoning of 6.77 acres to allow for 55 more townhomes to be built. This proposed development, to be called Zephyr Hill, is intended to consist of both two and three story townhomes, with and without garages. These 55 proposed townhomes would also be adjacent to the Cobblers Valley development currently being built by Ryan Homes. Here's the proposed site plan for these 55 townhomes...  The full County rezoning packet is available here. | |
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33 Townhouses Proposed To Be Built In The City of Harrisonburg, At The Entrance To Cobblers Valley |
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 Ryan Homes is currently building a neighborhood called Cobblers Valley in Rockingham County now 33 townhomes are proposed to be built in the City, at the entrance to Cobblers Valley. The property is already zoned for townhouses but the developer is requesting a subdivision ordinance variance to allow the townhouse lots to be built on a private street instead of a public street. You can download the reference documents from the Planning Commission's summary of the request here. This is the proposed layout of this small section of townhouses in the City...  | |
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48 Apartments, 26 Townhomes and A Mixed Use Building Proposed For Corner of Boyers Road, Port Republic Road |
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 A new proposal has emerged for developing the 5.7 acre parcel of land at the corner of Port Republic Road and Boyers Road. S&B Ventures, based out of Mount Crawford, is proposing a rezoning to allow for 48 apartments, 26 townhomes and a mixed use building. Here is the proposed layout on the land...  download a larger file here Some commentary from the developer provides some context for this potential new development... "The townhomes along Boyers are all oriented to take advantage of topography, with building "fronts" facing Boyers, and with on-site community green spaces and walkways connecting the community. There will be landscaping designed along Port Road with street trees and other landscaping to buffer parking on the site visually from Boyers." "Some community scale commercial uses are retained directly along the busy Port Road frontage to provide future small business/convenience commercial options to serve local surrounding neighborhoods. There is a multi-use path along the entire length of the Boyers Road frontage, which connects to existing sidewalks on Port Road." The Rockingham County Planning Commission will consider this rezoning request at their meeting on September 6, 2022. | |
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The Developer of Preston Lake Would Like To Build 139 Townhouses Behind Turner Ashby High School |
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 The developer of Preston Lake, Evergreen Homes, would like to build 139 townhouses behind Turner Ashby High School in the area outlined above. Bridgewater Town Council will review the proposal at their meeting in August. The potential townhouse development would be called The Glen at Cooks Creek and would be comprised of several different styles and sizes of townhouses. These townhouses would be built adjacent to Windsor West... and the land for these townhouses seems to currently be owned by the developer of Windsor West. Read a bit more this potential development over at the Daily News Record here. | |
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New Home Construction (For Sale or Rent) Is Likely The Only Path Towards A More Balanced Local Housing Market |
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 Over the past two (to five) years the local real estate market has seen... [1] More and more homes selling. [2] Higher and higher sales prices. [3] Higher and higher rental rates. Over the past six months, mortgage interest rates have increased significantly (from around 3% to nearly 6%) and yet... [1] We're still seeing just about the same number of homes selling. [2] Sales prices keep climbing. [3] Rental rates keep climbing. One conclusion that I keep coming back to in recent weeks and months is that... There are more people who want to live in Harrisonburg and Rockingham County than there is housing in which they can live. Generally speaking, when demand for housing exceeds supply, prices go up... that's what we're been seeing over the past few years. So, what's the answer? If there are 134,000 people living in Harrisonburg and Rockingham County, but there are 140,000 or 150,000 who would like to live here... ...the only path towards a more balanced housing market is to have... ...more homes. So, whether it's new homes being built to be sold... or new homes being built to be rented... that will help bring balance to our local housing market. It's certainly not clear how much more housing is needed, in what locations, or of what property types, sizes, or prices... but overall, more housing needs to be created (built) to account for the ever increasing number of people who would like to live in this area. | |
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Almost 1,700 New Homes (or home sites) Are Being Developed or Built in Harrisonburg and Rockingham County With Another 4,000 Planned or Proposed |
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 LOTS of new housing is currently being developed in Harrisonburg and Rockingham County... though mostly in Rockingham County. Below are most that I am aware of, with approximate unit counts, though you can find it in spreadsheet form, with some links, here. 369 Apartments
647 Townhouses & Duplexes
287 Single Family Detached Homes or Home Sites
This is not to mention the 4,314 homes that are being planned or proposed...
The important, and perhaps unanswerable, big questions are... [1] Is enough housing being built or planned to support a growing population? [2] Is too much housing being built or planned beyond what our growing population needs? [3] Is the right type, size, and price of housing being built? | |
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Half of All Homes Listed For Sale in the Past 10 Days Were New Homes, or To Be Built Homes |
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 If you want to buy a home, great news... there have been 100 homes listed for sale over the past ten days! Oh, but wait. :-) Half of those homes were new homes or to-be-built homes, mostly in these neighborhoods...
So... [1] Great news that new homes are being built. Lots of people want to buy homes -- more than there are homeowners who want to sell their homes -- so it's great that new housing inventory is being built. [2] If you don't happen to want to buy a home in one of these new neighborhoods (based on location, property type, size, price, etc.) then you don't actually have 100 new listings from which to choose... it's really only 50. | |
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Where Are All Of These New Proposed Residential Developments Located? |
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 There are approximately 1,700 new homes being built or to be built in active residential developments... ...and approximately 4,400 new homes planned or proposed in residential developments that are not yet actively being developed. Where are they all located? You'll find an interactive map of them here... You'll find additional details about the developments here... Let me know if I missed anything on the list. | |
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Missed Another Resale Home? Maybe Build A Home Instead? |
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 An age-old question is whether to buy a re-sale home or build a new home, especially as your price range gets above $500K or $600K.
Typically, the tension between buying vs building is one of: 1. Goals 2. Money 3. Timing If you build, you can get the house you want, but you'll pay more for it and it will take a lot of time and attention. 1. Goals = Win 2. Money = Lose 3. Timing = Lose If you buy an existing home, you won't get exactly what you want, but you will pay less for the house and the process will not be as much of a drain on your time. 1. Goals = Lose 2. Money = Win 3. Timing = Win Don't let my oversimplification of this issue fool you -- this is something that buyers can get stuck debating for months, or even years, often while looking at resale homes to try to convince themselves to buy instead building. AND -- two current market conditions are making it an even more complicated decision...
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New Homes are an Increasing Share of Total Home Sales in the Harrisonburg Area |
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 First, some raw data... Resale Home Sales:
So, there have been more and more resale homes selling over the past five years. New Home Sales:
There have also been more and more new homes selling over the past five years. The graph at the top, though, tells a third story -- an increasing portion of home sales are new home sales. Between 2017 and 2020 new home sales comprised 12% - 14% of all home sales. Then, in 2021, that jumped up to 19% new home sales. Thus, last year, approximately one in every five homes sold was a new home. This would seem to be good news, generally, as there is an ever increasing number of people who want to buy homes and make Harrisonburg their home -- so we'll need to see more new homes to help provide that housing. | |
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73% Of Homes Being Planned or Proposed for the City of Harrisonburg Are... Apartments! |
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 There are lots of new residential communities being planned, discussed or proposed in the City of Harrisonburg. As shown above, most will be apartments. Below is a brief overview of planned or proposed residential housing developments in the City of Harrisonburg. Keep in mind that some of these proposals are quite recent and some have been around as possible developments for quite a few years. It is uncertain or when any of these will actually take shape and be developed.
Did I miss anything? What should be added to the list, updated on the list or removed from the list? You can find more details about most of these developments (and about many in Rockingham County) in list form here and map form here. | |
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Where Were New Homes Built In 2021? |
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 Quite a few new homes were built in Harrisonburg and Rockingham County in 2021, contributing to the increase in overall sales in 2021. Above you will find the nine neighborhoods where five or more new homes were built/sold in 2021 as per the HRAR MLS. South Peak (52) - duplexes in McGaheysville, built by Ryan Homes, now sold out Shady Creek (39) - single family homes and townhomes in Grottoes, built by Ryan Homes, still being built and sold Brentwood (32) - single family homes just outside the City, still being built and sold Preston Lake (31) - single family homes, duplexes and townhomes being built just outside the City, still being built and sold Crescent Ridge (29) - townhomes just outside the City, still being built and sold Sunset Springs (27) - single family homes in Broadway Congers Creek (26) - townhomes just outside the City, still being built and sold Bridgewater Fields (11) - townhomes in Bridgewater, still being built and sold Founders Way (9) - condos in Harrisonburg, now sold out | |
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Scott Rogers
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scott@funkhousergroup.com
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