Harrisonburg Planning Commission Meeting Summary - January 14, 2026

The Harrisonburg Planning Commission met on Wednesday, January 14, 2026, at 6:00 p.m. in the City Council Chambers at 409 South Main Street. Members present were Chair Richard Baugh, Vice Chair Shannon Porter, Commissioners KC Kettler, Jezior, Heja Alsindi, and Randy Seitz, with Councilmember Laura Dent arriving at 6:01 p.m. The Commission conducted officer elections, considered three public hearing items, reviewed the five-year Capital Improvement Program, and received reports. The meeting adjourned at 8:16 p.m.

Election of Officers and Administrative Items

• Richard Baugh was reelected Chair, Shannon Porter was reelected Vice Chair, and Shannon Porter was reappointed as the Board of Zoning Appeals representative. Anastasia Montigney was appointed Secretary. All were approved by voice vote.
• The Commission unanimously affirmed the American Planning Association's Ethical Principles in Planning.
• Minutes from the December 10, 2025, Planning Commission meeting were approved by a 7-0 voice vote.

Public Hearing: Special Use Permit Request for 380 Sunrise Avenue

• Applicant Jason Burch requested a special use permit (SUP) to add a third story to an existing two-story single-family home in the R-8C Small Lot Residential District Conditional zoning district while maintaining its current footprint.
• The existing structure is 7.8 feet from the shared property line with 370 Sunrise Avenue. A three-story structure requires a minimum 10-foot side yard setback in the R-8 district, so the SUP would allow a reduced setback.
• Staff noted the property was rezoned from R-1 to R-8C on May 27, 2025, and that City Council voted on January 13, 2026, to approve an ordinance amendment permitting reduced side yard setbacks with fire-rated assemblies. The minutes state the amendment would take effect after a second reading on February 24, 2026, but during the hearing staff corrected the second reading to January 27, 2026.
• Staff recommended approval with the applicant's proposed condition that the side yard setback along the shared property line with 370 Sunrise Avenue not be less than five feet.
• Chair Baugh recused himself because of his obligations as a licensed Virginia attorney and left the room; he did not participate.
• No public speakers testified. Vice Chair Porter and Commissioner Kettler spoke in support.
• The Commission voted 6-0 to recommend approval to City Council on February 10, 2026.

Public Hearing: Special Use Permit Request for 660 Walnut Lane

• Matchbox Realty, represented by Weston Bayes, requested a SUP to convert the existing single-family dwelling at 660 Walnut Lane into four three-bedroom multifamily units in the R-3 district. The lot is approximately 16,400 square feet and the structure is approximately 6,400 square feet.
• Staff reviewed the property's history: in 2023 it was found over-occupied with up to 15 unrelated individuals and was issued a notice of violation for an illegal fraternity use; a subsequent SUP for a boarding/rooming house was unanimously denied by City Council in January 2024.
• The proposal includes a building-wide sprinkler system. The minutes cite the investment as $85,000, while the raw transcript says $8.5 million; this discrepancy is noted.
• Parking: four three-bedroom units require 10 off-street parking spaces. The applicant plans to restripe the existing lot and share two spaces at 635 South Main Street. Staff noted the plan did not yet show an accessible parking space and that one 90-degree space may need to be removed to provide one.
• Staff recommended approval as submitted. Commissioner Seitz recused himself because his firm, LDDBlueline Inc., prepared the permit drawings for Matchbox Realty.
• The applicant is currently proposing four units, although the R-3 district would allow up to five; staff said any increase in units or bedrooms would require a new parking plan.
• Estimated student generation is two K-12 students at full build-out.
• The Commission voted 6-0 to recommend approval to City Council on February 10, 2026.

Public Hearing: Rezoning Request for 2600 and 2580 South Main Street

• Applicant Todd B. Stone requested rezoning of an approximately three-acre portion of an approximately 13.14-acre parcel from M-1 General Industrial District to R-3C Medium Density Residential District Conditional.
• The property includes a house built around 1805, a separate cottage, and a barn. The house and cottage are nonconforming single-family dwellings on M-1 zoning. The cottage received a building alteration permit in April 2025 that was later described as issued in error, creating a vested right.
• The applicant offered proffers: no more than three dwelling units; no college/university buildings or functions, including fraternities and sororities; no cemeteries; and traffic-generating uses limited to 100 vehicle trips in either the AM or PM peak hour unless a traffic impact analysis is completed and mitigation implemented.
• Staff explained that rezoning would make the two dwellings conforming but would create a nonconforming 12-foot separation between principal buildings (20 feet is required). It would also make adjacent family-owned M-1 self-storage buildings nonconforming because they sit within the required 30-foot setback from a residential district.
• Staff recommended approval, finding that the advantages outweighed the disadvantages. No public speakers testified.
• The Commission voted 7-0 to recommend approval to City Council on February 10, 2026.

Capital Improvement Program FY2026-2027 through 2030-2031

• Director of Community Development Adam Fletcher presented the draft CIP, describing it as a planning tool rather than a budget for capital items of $50,000 or greater.
• Charts showed the largest projected expenditures coming from the general fund, followed by water. General properties represented 21% of the five-year total, including an estimated $24 million municipal building/City Hall complex renovation.
• Councilmember Dent voiced support for Fire Station 4, the municipal building renovation, solar panels, and the multimodal transit center. Commissioner Jezior raised safety concerns about missing sidewalks near Rocktown High School and the navigation center and supported prioritizing Bluestone Trail phase 2. Commissioner Alsindi emphasized that the CIP should be more clearly linked to the Comprehensive Plan as the guiding vision.
• Several commissioners said too many projects were clustered at priority 2 and asked for more prioritization to improve budget decisions.
• Commissioner Jezior disclosed that his firm is the architect for the City Hall renovation and was shortlisted for the Harrison House project, but he stated he could vote impartially.
• The Commission voted 7-0 to recommend approval of the CIP as presented to City Council on February 10, 2026.

Public Comments & Testimony

• During the 660 Walnut Lane hearing, Roberta McCorkle, a resident of 95 Campbell Street, spoke in support of the project. She praised the Matchbox Realty model for repurposing well-built historic homes, providing homes for students or faculty, and making the neighborhood more compatible.
• No one spoke during the public hearings for 380 Sunrise Avenue or the South Main Street rezoning, and no one spoke during the general public comment period.

Reports

• Commissioner Seitz reported that the Rockingham County Planning Commission on January 6, 2026, approved a proffer amendment related to Lake Point Village by a 6-0 vote.
• Councilmember Dent reported that City Council on January 13, 2026, approved the R-8 side-yard setback ordinance amendment, an M-1 special use permit for meat processing and storage, a rezoning at 797 Chicago Avenue, and a rezoning at 1110 N. Liberty Street.

Other Matters

• Commissioner Heja Alsindi disclosed that her Wednesday evening teaching duties at Eastern Mennonite University from February through April 2026 would cause her to miss about three or four Planning Commission meetings. She offered to resign if the Commission preferred. Chair Baugh, Vice Chair Porter, and Councilmember Dent encouraged her to remain, saying the Commission could operate with six members; staff agreed to review the bylaws.

Next Month's Applications

• Staff reviewed two anticipated February agenda items: Subdivision Ordinance variances for The Edge (Franklin Street), related to public street design, and 1176 Nelson Drive, a proposed lot without public street frontage. One meeting was recommended.

Key Outcomes

• Reelected the Chair, Vice Chair, BZA representative, and Secretary; affirmed ethics; approved the December minutes.
• Recommended approval 6-0 for the 380 Sunrise Avenue special use permit.
• Recommended approval 6-0 for the 660 Walnut Lane special use permit.
• Recommended approval 7-0 for the 2600/2580 South Main Street rezoning.
• Recommended approval 7-0 for the FY2026-2027 through 2030-2031 Capital Improvement Program.
• Commissioner Alsindi will remain on the Commission; staff will review attendance bylaws.
• The four recommendations are scheduled to go to City Council on February 10, 2026. The R-8 ordinance amendment second reading is scheduled for January 27, 2026, according to the hearing correction, though the minutes also reference February 24, 2026.