Harrisonburg City Council Meeting Summary - November 25, 2025

The Harrisonburg City Council met on Tuesday, November 25, 2025, at 7:00 PM in the Council Chambers. All five council members were present; Councilmember Dent participated virtually after Council approved her remote attendance due to illness. The meeting included consent agenda approvals, a public hearing on zoning ordinance amendments, an update on Our Community Place, approval of an HRHA purchase and renovation resolution, a $500,000 supplemental appropriation, public comments, and board appointments.

Consent Calendar

• Council approved the consent agenda by unanimous roll call (5-0), including the November 12, 2025 City Council meeting minutes; the second-reading rezoning request for 320 South Main Street; and the second-reading rezoning request for 2410 Reservoir Street.

Public Hearing: Zoning Ordinance Amendment for Inpatient Substance Use Disorder Treatment Facility

• Adam Fletcher, Director of Community Development, presented amendments to several Zoning Ordinance sections. The proposal added a definition for Inpatient Substance Use Disorder Treatment Facility as a facility licensed by the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services providing 24-hour accommodation, and would allow the use only by special use permit in the R-3 and B-2 zoning districts.
• Related amendments defined hospital, moved hospitals from by-right in R-3 to by-right in B-2, added definitions for institutional care facility and nursing home, adjusted assisted living and family/nursing home terms, and clarified clinic, medical clinic, and medical office terminology.
• Publication notice appeared in the Daily News-Record on November 13 and November 19, 2025. Fletcher noted that the Planning Commission recommended approval 5-0 and described a state-code process correction requiring the governing body, Planning Commission, or property owners to initiate zoning amendments.
• Public comment: Panayotis ‘Poti’ Giannakouros spoke on the facility issue and the process. He urged the Council to focus on root causes of displacement and homelessness, cautioned against using treatment facilities as makeshift shelters for unhoused people, and criticized aspects of the city’s civic engagement culture, referencing the Martin Luther King Jr. Way Coalition and an alleged chilling effect by a council member at a public process.
• Council discussion supported using the special use permit process to vet these facilities, with some members noting concerns about discharge protocols raised by Planning Commission Vice Chair Porter.
• The motion to approve the amendments as presented passed 5-0 by recorded roll call.

Regular Item: Update on Our Community Place

• Matt Tibles, executive director of Our Community Place (OCP), reported that OCP served 890 unique individuals through October 2025 and approximately 12,000 meals; about 200 unique individuals per month were served in August, September, and October. Roughly half of the people seen in October were not seen earlier in the year, and more veterans are seeking services.
• He reported shelter counts remaining near 120–125 and unsheltered counts staying around 94–95 in September and October. Men make up the majority of those served.
• Tibles discussed close collaboration with Open Doors and the Navigation Center, limited daytime hours due to funding and staffing, and future plans for a new community center at an unannounced property with a significant number of new housing units.
• Council discussion included possible expansion of OCP hours, grant collaboration, and supportive housing. The presentation was received and filed.

Regular Item: HRHA Purchase and Renovation of 227 N. Main Street

• City Attorney Chris Brown presented a carryover resolution authorizing the Harrisonburg Redevelopment and Housing Authority (HRHA) to purchase the former Glen’s Fair Price property at 227 N. Main Street and renovate it into mixed-use housing and commercial space with 16 residential units and HRHA office space.
• Mayor Reed reported meeting with HRHA leadership and emphasized resident safety at the Polly Lineweaver apartment complex, the need for upgrades, more on-site leadership presence, and a secure outdoor gathering place for residents.
• HRHA Director Michael Wong responded that safety is HRHA’s top priority. He described updated cameras, key fob access, no-trespass notices, and eviction processes. He reported more than 500 calls to police, fire, and rescue, mostly health-related, and 19 arrests—3 residents and 16 guests—largely for trespassing and public intoxication. He stated that about 30% of Lineweaver residents are elderly, 70% have disabling conditions, and residents’ average annual income is about $12,000.
• Councilmember Robinson expressed concern that residents said they do not feel safe after hours and she was not comfortable with the current safety plan. Councilmember Dent praised the creative repurposing of the building and the potential benefit of a smaller, more welcoming environment. Vice Mayor Fleming pointed to HRHA’s previous work such as Commerce Village.
• The resolution was approved 4-1; Councilmember Robinson voted no.

Supplemental Appropriation: Commonwealth Opportunity Fund Grant

• City Manager Ande Banks presented a $500,000 supplemental appropriation for the Economic Development Department from the Virginia Commonwealth Opportunity Fund, to be passed through to Shenandoah Valley Organic Farmer Focus (SVO).
• The 2021 performance agreement required a $60 million capital investment at the Acorn Drive production facility and at least 110 new jobs within three years. SVO exceeded that by hiring more than 950 new jobs since 2021; current combined employment at its two Harrisonburg facilities is above 1,450.
• The Commonwealth paid the grant to the city the prior week, and SVO must receive the funds within 30 days. The Harrisonburg Economic Development Authority was scheduled to consider its pass-through vote on December 3, 2025.
• The supplemental appropriation was approved unanimously by voice vote.

Other Matters: Public Comments

• In the non-agenda public comment period, Panayotis Giannakouros spoke about the Martin Luther King Jr. Way Coalition’s Skeleton Festival activity in which children built brush piles and named a fox. He distributed seeds to Council and said the group will be at Winter Wonderfest. No telephone callers were received.

Council and Staff Reports

• Councilmember Alsaadun and Vice Mayor Fleming attended the National League of Cities conference. Fleming reported he was elected to the NLC Board of Directors and will share the organization’s legislative agenda.
• Councilmember Dent reported attending COP30 in Belém, Brazil, on a trip not sponsored by the city, where she delivered a message that American cities are committed to climate action. She said she tested positive for COVID during her return and was recovering.
• Councilmember Robinson reported presenting at the Shenandoah Valley Bicycle Coalition’s annual Bike Summit and at the Chesapeake Bay Trust Conference on partnerships with organizations serving disinvested communities.
• Mayor Reed reported on a Parks and Recreation Committee meeting, 120 Thanksgiving blessing boxes, the ribbon cutting for Fire Station 5, an upcoming turkey pardon, participation in an EMU panel, and her December 1 start with Governor-Elect Spanberger’s transition team.
• City Attorney Chris Brown reported that a local recycling business requested an exemption from the city’s machinery and tool tax for a DEQ-certified bailer used in recycling. He cited business-provided tonnage of diverted recyclables, with about 80% returned to manufacturers. With Council consensus, he will work with the finance director and commissioner of the revenue and bring a proposed ordinance amendment to the next meeting.

Boards and Commissions

• Reappointed Marsha Garst to the Rockingham-Harrisonburg Alcohol Safety Action Program (ASAP) Policy Board for a 4th term expiring December 15, 2030 (unanimous).
• Reappointed Gil Coleman to the Harrisonburg Redevelopment and Housing Authority for a 2nd term expiring November 29, 2029, and appointed Sam Nickels to an unexpired HRHA term expiring February 11, 2028 (unanimous).
• Reappointed Quinton Callahan to the Harrisonburg Electric Commission for a 2nd term expiring December 31, 2028 (unanimous).

Closed Session and Adjournment

• The closed session, authorized under Virginia Code Section 2.2-3711(A)(3) for discussion of real estate acquisition where open discussion would adversely affect the public body’s bargaining position, was removed from the agenda. No closed session was held.
• Minutes record adjournment at 8:37 p.m.; the transcript’s final timestamp indicates 8:39 p.m.

Key Outcomes

• Approved consent agenda, including meeting minutes and two rezoning requests on second reading (5-0).
• Approved zoning ordinance amendments adding and regulating inpatient substance use disorder treatment facilities (5-0).
• Received and filed the Our Community Place update.
• Approved the HRHA purchase and renovation resolution for 227 N. Main Street (4-1; Councilmember Robinson opposed).
• Approved the $500,000 Commonwealth Opportunity Fund supplemental appropriation (unanimous).
• Approved all board reappointments and appointments (unanimous).
• Removed the closed session and adjourned.