Harrisonburg Planning Commission Unanimously Recommends Ten Items to City Council on April 10, 2024
Harrisonburg Planning Commission Unanimously Recommends Ten Items to City Council on April 10, 2024
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.
Consent Calendar
- Minutes from February 14, 2024 approved 4-0 (Finnegan abstaining).
- Minutes from March 13, 2024 approved 4-0 (Dent abstaining).
Public Hearings
4.a. Sahara III LC – Special Use Permit (Amendment) for 1846 Evelyn Byrd Avenue
- Request to amend approved SUP: reduce dwelling units from 20 to 16, reduce stories from 5 to 4, remove bus pull-off requirement (existing stop within 450 feet), and replace parking ratio with a maximum of 23 spaces. Staff recommended approval. No public opposition. Motion (Byrd/Baugh) passed 5-0.
4.b. Elba A. Herrer De Dildy and Jose Martir Guiterrez Hernandez – Rezone 35 Monroe Street from R-2 to R-8
- To allow an addition for a family member. Proffer: no additional dwelling units. Staff recommended approval. Motion (Byrd/Washington) passed 5-0.
4.c. Liberty Street Investments LLC – Rezone 162 West Elizabeth Street from M-1 to B-1C (Conditional)
- For a 3-story, 15–20 unit multifamily building with no parking. Proffers include no drive-through, traffic cap, bike storage, and sidewalk dedication. Public speakers: Kenneth Kettler (support, emphasized downtown walkability) and Barry Kelley (support, cited successful no-parking projects). Motion (Baugh/Byrd) passed 5-0.
4.d. David L. Snyder – Rezone 415 North Liberty Street from M-1 to B-1C
- For a mixed-use building with 4 apartments and ground-floor retail. Proffers: no drive-through, no parking between building and street, no fuel stations, refuse restrictions, traffic cap. Public speakers: Kristen Moore (Magpie owner; support with parking concerns), Kenneth Kettler (support), and Barry Kelley (neighbor; concern about alley impacts). Motion (Byrd/Dent) passed 5-0.
4.e. Hurstwenger Properties LLC – Rezone portions of 1011, 1019, 1021, 1023 West Market Street
- Two rezoning actions: a 7,305 sq ft portion from B-2 to R-8C (conditional, single-family only) and a 900 sq ft portion from R-1 to B-2 to match the site. Proffer: no more than one dwelling unit on R-8 portion. Letter of support from Mike Zook. Staff recommended approval. Motion (Byrd/Dent) passed 5-0.
4.f, 4.g, 4.h. Hurstwenger Properties LLC – Three Special Use Permits at 1011–1031 West Market Street
- To legalize existing uses: (4.f) warehousing and storage (limited to 2,000 sq ft, no self-storage); (4.g) building material sales and contractor equipment sales/storage (with outdoor storage screening); (4.h) multifamily/mixed-use (one dwelling unit maintained). Conditions include closing one entrance within six months and screening requirements. Applicant Chris Wenger emphasized maintaining affordable housing. Three separate motions each passed 5-0 (all Byrd/Baugh).
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
- To allow up to 17 townhomes (conceptual). Proffers: no parking between street and buildings, facades face streets, limited access points, and tree planting (12 trees). Staff recommended 48-month SUP extension due to site complexities (drainage, lot configuration). Applicant Bashdar Aziz stated goal of affordable housing. Motion for rezoning (Byrd/Baugh) passed 5-0. Motion for SUP with 48-month extension (Byrd/Baugh) passed 5-0.
Other Business and Reports
- Rockingham County Planning Commission Liaison Report: Chair Finnegan reported on a proposed ordinance amendment to cap poultry houses at 4 per parcel, tabled due to lack of groundwater data.
- Board of Zoning Appeals Report: No meeting in April.
- City Council Report (Vice Mayor Dent): Key items included a Port Republic Road project initially failed but later passed with density reductions; Thanh Dang appointed interim Zoning Administrator; and budget challenges with a requested 6.6 million dollar school increase.
- Zoning & Subdivision Ordinance Update: The next Ordinance Advisory Committee meeting is April 17; a Planning Commission work session is proposed for June/July.
- May 2024 Applications Preview: Six applications are expected for the May meeting.
Key Outcomes
- All ten agenda items (4a–4j) received unanimous recommendations (5-0) to City Council.
- All items will appear on City Council's May 14, 2024 agenda.
- Planning Commission will schedule a future work session on zoning ordinance updates.
- The meeting was adjourned at 8:39 PM.
Meeting Transcript
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.
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