Planning Commission Unanimously Approves Franklin Street Variance Request from The Edge Realty Partners LLC on February 11, 2026
Planning Commission Meeting – February 11, 2026
The Harrisonburg Planning Commission met on Wednesday, February 11, 2026 at 6:00 PM in City Council Chambers, 409 South Main Street. Five members were present (Richard Baugh (Chair), Laura Dent, KC Kettler, Rob Jezior, and Randy Seitz); Shannon Porter and Heja Alsindi were absent. The meeting adjourned at 7:08 PM.
Consent Calendar
- Approval of January 14, 2026 Minutes: Approved by voice vote (5-0).
Public Comments & Testimony
- Sarah Showalter (601 Franklin Street) – Speaking during the public hearing on Item 4a, she expressed her investment in the neighborhood and raised questions about traffic calming, bikeability on the narrowed street, and the lack of communication from the developer (The Edge Realty Partners) despite multiple outreach attempts by residents. She asked whether a raised speed hump could be added to the western end of Franklin Street and who is accountable for traffic impacts.
- No callers joined the general public comment period following the variance vote.
Discussion Items
- Franklin Street Variance (Item 4a): Planner Meg Rupkey presented a request from The Edge Realty Partners LLC for two variances from the Subdivision Ordinance and Design and Construction Standards Manual (DCSM) for an undeveloped portion of Franklin Street between 625 and 630 Franklin Street:
- SAG vertical curve K-value: Reduce the required minimum K-value from 20 to 15 (the applicant’s design uses 15.35) due to an existing slope of 9.82%. Staff found the request reasonable.
- Street pavement width: Allow 20 feet of pavement (24 feet curb-to-curb) where no parking is provided and 25 feet (29 feet curb-to-curb) where parking is on one side, instead of the standard 30 feet (34 feet curb-to-curb). Public Works supports the narrower widths.
- Staff recommended approval of the K-value variance with a condition that the K-value not be less than 15, and no conditions for the street width variance.
- Commissioner discussion included the history of the Franklin Street extension (proffered during a 2022 rezoning), the importance of traffic calming (narrow streets, bump-outs, raised crosswalks), and the lack of sidewalks on the rest of Franklin Street. Concerns about cut-through traffic and connectivity vs. neighborhood character were raised.
- Applicant representative Ryan Bosshart (Valley Engineering) answered questions, noting that on-street parking spaces are primarily for short-term use (dog park, mail center) and that the narrower widths contribute to traffic calming.
- Motion by Commissioner Seitz, seconded by Councilmember Dent, to approve the variances as recommended. Unanimous vote (5-0). The variance request will be presented to City Council on March 10, 2026.
- Zoning Reform Legislation: Councilmember Dent reported on a Virginia state bill (sailing through the legislature) that would allow multifamily housing by right in at least 75% of commercially zoned properties. Deputy City Attorney Wesley Russ clarified it would apply to any zoning district where a commercial use is permitted by right (including R-3). Commission members expressed concern about loss of local control, the potential for student housing, and the erosion of community engagement (e.g., proffers and special use permits). Commissioner Kettler asked for an update on Harrisonburg’s Zoning Ordinance Update Project; staff indicated an update would be provided later.
Reports
- Rockingham County Planning Commission Liaison (Chair Baugh): Reported on the February 3, 2026 meeting, which approved three unanimous (3-0) ordinance amendments: (1) solar project commencement timeline update per state code, (2) supplemental standards for large solar energy facilities, and (3) agricultural setback adjustments in urban growth areas.
- City Council Report (Councilmember Dent): Noted that no Planning Commission public hearings were presented on February 10; the January 14 items (Capital Improvement Program, rezoning on South Main Street, special use permits on Sunrise Avenue and Walnut Lane) will go to Council on February 24. Also highlighted: Rocktown and Harrisonburg High Schools musical performance, Open Doors and library updates, Southern Cities Economic Initiative grant, a code amendment changing the invocation to a moment of silence, and appointments to boards and commissions.
Other Matters
- Scam Prevention: Staff announced that contact information (phone numbers, email addresses, physical addresses) will be redacted from applications posted on Legistar to prevent impersonation scams; the information remains available by contacting Community Development.
- Next Month’s Agenda (March 2026): Three rezonings are anticipated: a proffer amendment on Franklin Street, a rezoning/special use permit at 851 Madison Street, and a public hearing for The Link apartments. Chair Baugh noted that staff should prepare for a sizable crowd given past public interest.
Key Outcomes
- Approved minutes of January 14, 2026 (5-0).
- Approved variances for Franklin Street street design standards (5-0) with a condition that the K-value for the sag vertical curve shall not be less than 15.
- Noted that the variance request will go to City Council on March 10, 2026.
- Adjourned at 7:08 PM.
Meeting Transcript
Okay. Okay. I would call to order the February 11, 2026 meeting Harrisonburg Planning Commission. We have a quorum. Five of the members are present. Vice Chair Porter and Commissioner Alcindia are not with us tonight, but with five of us here, we do have a quorum. So the next item is review and approval of minutes from our January 14th meeting. Motion to approve. Second. Moved by Commissioner Kettler, seconded by Commissioner Jezior. Any discussion? All in favor say aye. Hi. Opposed, no. All right. Minutes stand approved. All right. One on other new business item 4A, request from the Edge Realty Partners LLC for variances from subdivision ordinance undeveloped portion of Franklin Street between 625 and 630 Franklin Street. All right. Good evening. I'm Meg Repke. I am a planner for community development. Tonight the applicant is asking to deviate from street standards for portions of portions of Franklin Street circled on blue on the screen. Here is a zoning map of the area. Properties surrounding Franklin Street are zoned R5C and B2 primarily. And soon before getting into the details of the request, I'll give a quick background on how these parcels on either side of Franklin Street have been developed so far. Here is a future land use guide of the area. And then here is an aerial of the site. So this is first photo is us standing on the street. This photo shows the existing developed portions of Franklin Street looking towards Reservoir Street to help you all hopefully get a little bit of your bearings. And then this image is looking at the undeveloped portion of the future Franklin Street towards East Market Street. In March 2022, City Council had approved a rezoning for 23 parcels from V2 to R5C, as well as they approved a special use permit to allow for multifamily buildings with more than 12 units per building. For reference during that rezoning, there had been a maximum of 156 units proffered as part of that request. And then in July 2023, the applicant had completed a minor subdivision to vacate the internal property lines and to create two large parcels on either side of Franklin Street as it was shown on the previous maps and dedicating the undeveloped portion of the Franklin Street right away. During the rezoning process, the applicant was told that if they wanted to build Franklin Street as they had shown on their concept plans, they would likely need to be requested, they would likely need to request variances to our subdivision ordinance and our DCSM to deviate, which was why we are here today. Sorry, from section three, six two four regarding the K value used for calculating the minimum length of a SAG value curve on Franklin Street. The SAG value curve is a curve that connects two vertical curves are curves that connect two points in a road. Proper designs of these SAG curves make design the design to make the drive smoother. They help avoid the roller coaster effect while driving and improve headlight visibility at night. Typically larger K-values are preferred because it results in a more gradual change in slope, whereas the lower K value causes a sharper change in the slope. One way to understand K-value is to think of it as the value itself is feet per percent, meaning, for example, a K value of 20, which is what our DCSM requires. A K-value of 20 means that a vertical curve needs 20 feet of length for every 1% in slope change. Meaning that if they have a 10% slope and 10% change in slope, the K value is required is 20. The minimum curve length that they would need is 200 feet, which would be the 20 feet times the 10%. The applicant is proposing a minimum K-value of 15 and explained in their letter that Franklin Street has an existing slope of 9.82%. And in order to provide accessible slope for the property, they need to flat they would like to flatten the slope as quickly as possible. The applicant had submitted materials that they indicated a val a K-value of 15.35 as their design that they had been working with. Exhibit two provided by the applicant illustrates the existing and proposed street profiles in grade slopes. And due to the existing conditions, in this case, fine staff finds that their request for the K-value is reasonable. Just to help you understand this understand where we are looking more.
openpublica.com