By Lizzie Stone, city council reporter
Temporary traffic changes will line North Mason for a few weeks in July, from Market Street to East Gay Street. Several sections of southbound lanes will be closed, and traffic lights will be turned off and replaced with roundabouts, as part of the Complete Streets Demonstration Project beginning July 7.
The demonstration intends to integrate the nearby Northeast Neighborhood with downtown Harrisonburg. Closed sections of lane will host community events intended to help bring the city together.
The Complete Streets project is part of the wider Community Connectors program, grant-funded by Smart Growth America and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Harrisonburg won the grant because the construction of North Mason Street destroyed homes in the historic African-American neighborhoods. The project displaced many African-American families, and council member Monica Robinson said it has also left lasting mistrust between Northeast Neighborhood residents and the city.
Looking toward the future, city and community partners want to use the grant to redesign North Mason Street to better integrate with the city, both through infrastructure and by rebuilding community trust.
“What we’re trying to do is reconnect the northeast neighborhoods and downtown,” Robinson said. “We’re really trying to look at the best way to use North Mason street so that we can bring those together. We don’t need the double lanes.”
Planning stages of the projects attempt to include the community in redesigning the road to suit their needs. Residents were surveyed, and open houses were held to collect in-depth feedback which went into the plan for this demonstration.
This redesign of the street is temporary. City staff will collect data on the impact of the changes, including everything from quantitative traffic data to surveying city residents’ thoughts. It will be used to design a future permanent change, so the city invites residents to leave their feedback throughout.
Council approves next year’s budget, no change to real estate tax
The final city budget received its official approval at Tuesday’s meeting, cementing a plan with no change to the current real estate tax rate.
While the rate of $1.01 per $100 of assessed property value will stay the same, the city is banking on an increase in revenue. That’s because a 5.9% average increase in local property values is expected to generate an additional $3.3 million in property taxes.
Some residents talked during the council’s budget hearings earlier this spring about programs they want approved and services they want funded.
Council members said they focused on maintaining city services this year rather than expanding them because of uncertainty about federal funding.
Discussion about the budget was limited during Tuesday’s meeting because it previously had come up for debate, discussion and public hearings. Tuesday was the final vote before the budget deadline.
City running a pilot program for free rideshare
The Harrisonburg Department of Public Transportation will offer a free rideshare service called HB Flex throughout the summer. Rides will be available within a limited range including to downtown, nearby neighborhoods, the Valley Mall and Walmart.
Rides can be requested through the Passio GO! app and website that also displays bus routes. They will run Monday through Saturday in two blocks: mornings from 5-9 a.m., and from 5-11 p.m.
Transportation staff said they think of the program as a supplement for other transit. It will be a flexible option that works with buses and paratransit to fill a specific need. The pilot program launched last Monday, and officials say some residents have already been using it regularly to get to work, school and take their families to commercial areas.
Council member Nasser Alsaadun asked if the program would affect the livelihoods of drivers for private apps like Uber. HDPT staff said they hope the program will complement other options.
Other council members said the rideshare aspect of this program made it different from private paid options which take people directly from place to place.
Transportation officials said they will assess the program and collect resident feedback throughout the pilot program, which will run until Aug. 16.
Other notes from Tuesday’s meeting:
Programs throughout the city are funded annually by the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development, distributed locally by the Community Development Block Grant program. Almost $621k will go to various programs to promote goals like housing improvements and public facilities. Projects set to receive funding include Habitat for Humanity, the Hillandale playground replacement, The Arc of Harrisonburg and Rockingham, Meals on Wheels and more.
Council members voted to end the local emergency about city water supplies following a presentation from the director of public utilities, Mike Collins. He explained the problem was caused by heavy rains washing sediment into local water sources, delaying water treatment.The council declared a local emergency on May 16 because the city was relying on stored water until treatment could go back to normal. Collins emphasized that the water was never at risk of being unsafe, and a limited reserve supply caused the emergency.
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