The Harrisonburg Planning Commission met on April 10, 2024 at 6:00 PM in Council Chambers. Chair Brent Finnegan presided with five members present (Finnegan, Byrd, Washington, Baugh, and Vice Mayor Dent; Heja Alsindi absent, one vacancy). The Commission unanimously recommended approvals for ten public hearing items, all to be forwarded to City Council on May 14, 2024. The meeting adjourned at 8:39 PM.
4.a. Sahara III LC – Special Use Permit (Amendment) for 1846 Evelyn Byrd Avenue
4.b. Elba A. Herrer De Dildy and Jose Martir Guiterrez Hernandez – Rezone 35 Monroe Street from R-2 to R-8
4.c. Liberty Street Investments LLC – Rezone 162 West Elizabeth Street from M-1 to B-1C (Conditional)
4.d. David L. Snyder – Rezone 415 North Liberty Street from M-1 to B-1C
4.e. Hurstwenger Properties LLC – Rezone portions of 1011, 1019, 1021, 1023 West Market Street
4.f, 4.g, 4.h. Hurstwenger Properties LLC – Three Special Use Permits at 1011–1031 West Market Street
4.i and 4.j. B & A Group LLC – Rezone 290, 294, 298 Lucy Drive from R-3 to R-8C and Special Use Permit for townhomes
Good evening. Next stop here. Just to your last night. I call this meeting to order for the Harrisonburg Planning Commission for Wednesday, April 10th, 2024. We have a quorum with five members present. And we're looking for a motion for two sets of minutes. Well, separate motions. Motion to approve or amend the minutes from the February 14th meeting. I move the approve the minutes for February the 14th and March the 13th. Oh, second. Do we do them as a yeah? Sure. Okay. I wasn't here on February 14th. But I wasn't here March. I'll separate the motion. I moved to approve the minutes for February the 14th. Second. Okay, we have a motion to approve from uh Vice Chair Byrd, a second from Commissioner Ball. Um all in favor say aye. Aye. Aye. Uh and I'm at all uh abstaining say aye. Aye, and I will abstain. Um and then we're looking for a motion for March 13th minutes. I make a motion to approve the minutes from March the thirteenth. Second. Okay, we have a motion and a second. Um all in favor of approval of the minutes from March 13th say aye. Aye. Any abstentions? I abstain, I wasn't here. Okay. Now we move on to public hearings. Item 4A to consider a request for a special use permit to allow multiple family dwellings and mixed use dwellings on Evelyn Byrd Avenue. Great, thank you. So we are having some computer updating issues that's taken a little bit longer uh and some unusual things happening. I think we'll get it resolved. Are you okay if I just begin presenting or would you like to wait? I think we have our documents uh is there any I'm happy to proceed and just do the presentation while they they work that out. Um so all right, so this first application is a revisit of 1846 Evelyn Byrd Avenue. This was the site that you all may recall was called Nerd Apartments or is called Nerd Apartments. The applicant had come to us uh to planning commission and city council back in May and June of 2023, so last year, uh, and got approval of a special use permit to allow multifamily dwellings at this property. Um the location of this property is uh on Evelyn Bird across the street from where the Regal Cinemas is located. So the parcel is vacant. It's zone B2. Um and the applicant's requesting the special use permit to allow for multifamily dwellings. With that application, uh back in 2023, they had included a um number of conditions that they offered related to the number of dwellings, number of parking spaces, um accessibility of number of dwelling units, the maximum number of dwelling units, as well as uh a condition that would have re would require a bus pull-off concrete pad and an easement for the bus shelter. Um as the project had gone through two rounds of engineered comprehensive site plan reviews. Um the applicant found that they just were not able to accommodate, you know, all the things that they wanted along with the bus pull off.