Zoning
| Older Posts |
 |
 |
64 Townhouses Coming (Soon?) To Crossroads Farm |
|
 Since Crossroads Farm was first proposed in 1999, there has been a section of the neighborhood where townhouses were intended to be built, as shown above. Thus, this new rezoning request is simply regarding some details of those townhouses... and is not related to whether townhouses are allowed in this area. The rezoning request is to allow for taller townhouses. The applicant would like 16 (of the 64) townhouses to be able to be up to 42 feet tall to allow for a garage on the main level and two living levels above that. The two buildings labeled "TH-3" above are intended to be three stories... on the front of the building... though when viewed from the back they would appear to be two stories as the first level would be below grade at the back of the townhouse. This more detailed rezoning request may mean that these 64 townhouses will be built sooner rather than later. Click here to view more details in the rezoning application packet. | |
 |
 |
|
|
Valley View Village, To Include 420 Apartments, Proposed For Reservoir Street |
|
 Back in 2019, a proposal was approved for 156 apartments on 5.3 acres on Reservoir Street... but the apartments have not been constructed. Now, a new proposal is being considered by Rockingham County (Planning Commission, Board of Supervisors) to include two unimproved parcels totaling 18.125 acres. The applicant is proposing to build approximately 420 apartments in 13 apartment buildings with a variety of amenities such as a pool, dog wash, tot lots and a walking trail. The original 5.3 acres is already zoned Planned Multi Family (PMF) and the applicant is seeking to rezone the second parcel from R2 to PMF. As you'll note below, the two parcels are mostly surrounded by apartments, a few duplexes, and some undeveloped land.  Per the applicant's representative at Blackwell Engineering, the apartment buildings will vary in size with anywhere from 28 apartments to 42 apartments per building. The apartments will be a mixture of 1, 2 and 3 bedroom units. This rezoning will go before the Planning Commission and then potentially the Board of Supervisors in the coming months. Download the entire information packet here. | |
|
|
|
|
27 Single Family Homes Proposed On Garbers Church Road |
|
 view a larger image here The Harrisonburg Planning Commission reviewed a new proposal for a residential development on Garbers Church Road, just north of its intersection with Rhianon Lane. The property is currently zoned R-1 and the developer is proposing an R-8 zoning classification to allow more homes to be built on the property. The proposed R-8 zoning classification would allow 27 single family homes to be built on this 3.778 acre parcel. The developer indicates that these would be small homes, likely two story in height due to the smaller lot sizes. Three members of the Planning Commission recommended approval and three were opposed. The Harrisonburg City Council will review this proposal and potentially make a decision about it during their March 14th meeting. Download an information packet about this proposed development here. | |
|
|
|
|
Harrisonburg Planning Commission To Consider 897 Unit Bluestone Town Center Proposal To Include 415 Apartments, 349 Townhomes, 133 Detached Homes |
|
 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. | |
|
|
|
|
376 Apartments In Three Buildings, With Clubhouse, Pool and Parking Deck Proposed For Peach Grove Avenue |
|
 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
| |
|
|
|
|
53 Townhomes Proposed Near Intersection Of East Market Street, Stone Spring Road |
|
 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. | |
|
|
|
|
60 Townhouses And 34 Apartments Proposed For Corner(ish) Of North Main Street And Mount Clinton Pike |
|
 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. | |
|
|
|
|
67 Single Family Homes, 16 Duplexes Proposed For Town of Dayton |
|
 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. | |
|
|
|
|
Updates On Proposed Residential Developments In Rockingham County |
|
 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. | |
|
|
|
|
Help Shape The Future Of Rockingham County! |
|
 Rockingham County is revising and updating its Comprehensive Plan, which is a document that sets the vision and goals for the next 10 to 20 years! The last review was approved by the Board of Supervisors on September 23, 2015. The Comprehensive Plan addresses topics such as:
The policies defined in the plan will guide the County's future direction and priorities for growth, services, and land use regulation. And... YOU... can have a voice in the updated Comprehensive Plan! Take a few minutes to complete the Public Input Survey by clicking here. Find out more about the Comprehensive Plan update here. | |
|
|
|
|
Does Building College Student Housing In Harrisonburg Impact City Schools? |
|
 At first glance, the answer to this question seems obvious... If more college student housing is built in Harrisonburg, those college students are very unlikely to have children attending K-12 schools in the City of Harrisonburg. So, there is not a connection between college student housing construction and K-12 student population, right? Well... maybe there actually is an indirect connection... Using some rough, and certainly inaccurate numbers, let's pretend... [1] There are 21,000 students at JMU. [2] Of those, 7,000 students live on campus. [3] Thus, 14,000 students live off campus. And let's pretend that today, there is enough off campus college student housing for... magically... 14,000 students. Clearly, it's not this cut and dry, but I can pretend. Now, what happens when more off campus college student housing is built? What happens when there is enough new housing to fit 500, 1000 or 2000 more college students? First off, yes, JMU is growing and will continue to grow over time... but not that fast!? Now, after this new off campus college housing for 2,000 more students is constructed we will have off campus student housing for 16,000 college students... but only 14,000 college students who need housing! What seems to inevitably happen in Harrisonburg, is that when new off campus student housing is built... some of the existing (usually older) off campus student housing is no longer occupied by college students. And then, yes, the new tenants... who are not college students... may have children... who would attend City schools. So, while it may seem at first glance that building off campus college student housing does not impact the City school population (and thus the City budget to pay for educating more students) it seems that this new off campus college housing actually can indirectly impact City schools. As to the illustration above... A = More New Off Campus College Housing B = More Vacancies in Off Campus College Housing C = Off Campus College Housing Occupied By Non College Students D = More K-12 Students Attending City Schools If A=B and if B=C and if C=D... then, does A=D? A few pretty broad disclaimers... 1. I'm not saying it's a bad idea to build more off campus college housing. 2. I am saying it's a good idea to discuss and understand the primary and secondary impacts of building new off campus college housing... or any other type of housing. 3. I'm not saying it's a bad thing to have non college student rental housing created through increased vacancies at what were previously college student housing complexes. Perhaps that's a good thing... or a normal part of the housing cycle in a college town? As with most of my writing about the dynamics of our local housing market... I'm not trying to convince you that one thing or the other is a good or bad... I'm just trying to get some discussion points out there for you, and others, to consider and decide what you think. :-) | |
|
|
|
|
55 (More) Townhomes Proposed On Pear Street |
|
 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. | |
|
|
|
|
33 Townhouses Proposed To Be Built In The City of Harrisonburg, At The Entrance To Cobblers Valley |
|
 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...  | |
|
|
|
|
48 Apartments, 26 Townhomes and A Mixed Use Building Proposed For Corner of Boyers Road, Port Republic Road |
|
 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. | |
|
|
|
|
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 |
|
 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? | |
|
|
|
|
Harrisonburg Redevelopment and Housing Authority in Planning Stages of a 1,000 Unit Housing Development Across From Harrisonburg High School |
|
 Specific details are still relatively limited, but the Harrisonburg Redevelopment and Housing Authority is planning a LARGE development on land that stretches from Erickson Avenue to Garbers Church Road. Here are some of the details that have been made public thus far...
More details here. Stay tuned for more details as they are made public. | |
|
|
|
|
Where Are All Of These New Proposed Residential Developments Located? |
|
 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. | |
|
|
|
|
Rezoning Requested for 48 Apartments on Chicago Avenue, Behind La Morena |
|
 The City of Harrisonburg Planning Commission will consider a rezoning request and special use permit request this week (3/9/2022) to allow for the construction of 48 apartments on 2.32 acres on Chicago Avenue behind La Morena. City staff recommends the approval of the rezoning request and special use permit. Download all the pertinent documents from the City here. In other apartment related news, City Council will review a request for a 156-unit apartment complex called The Edge on East Market Street today. | |
|
|
| Older Posts |
Scott Rogers
Funkhouser Real
Estate Group
540-578-0102
scott@funkhousergroup.com
Licensed in the
Commonwealth of Virginia
Home Search
Housing Market Report
Harrisonburg Townhouses
Walk Through This Home
Investment Properties
Harrisonburg Foreclosures
Property Transfers
New Listings
