By Lizzie Stone, city council reporter
The Harrisonburg city council will vote on Sept. 23 on whether to rezone land at the edge of downtown to allow construction of a six-story complex called the Link Apartments.
The council postponed making a decision on the rezoning for six weeks in order to gather more community feedback on the project after an overflow crowd packed into City Hall for the public hearing on the issue Tuesday evening.
The vote was originally scheduled for Tuesday after the public hearing, but council member Dany Fleming said the council members wanted more time to make a “well-informed decision that reflects community’s goals and uses best available facts.”
Harrisonburg residents flocked to the meeting to share more of their opinions on the project. More than 230 people filled the main council room and spilled into the lobby, lining up to speak until midnight. The public hearing took place at the end of the meeting, which started at 7 p.m.
Director of Community Development Adam Fletcher began his overview presentation of the developers’ application by summarizing the rezoning process. Potential applicants go through discussions with city officials to adjust their application before their applications become public. Once the application is officially submitted, public notices are posted and surrounding property owners are notified.
Fletcher said the department “[does] not tell people up front whether we support something or recommend denial” in an effort to preserve the integrity of the process. City staff makes recommendations and suggests changes assuming every project might be approved to go forward.”
The application from the development company Timberwolf Capital Partners calls for a $109 million project that includes apartment units and some retail space, as well as parking. It received a favorable recommendation from both staff and the planning commission, with unanimous approval from the planning commissioners who attended their July meeting. However one planning commissioner, Kate Nardi, later wrote in an email to the city that she regretted her vote. She said she had concerns about unsafe traffic in surrounding neighborhoods, and was unhappy about the plan to dedicate 40% of units as student rentals.
“I’m not convinced the applicant and the representative did their due diligence with the community at large and near neighborhoods in seeking meaningful input on a project of this scale,” Nardi wrote.
A traffic impact analysis was conducted for the developer’s application and found that while some intersections are already failing, this project would not add enough traffic to the area to require mitigation.
Additionally, developers have proposed an extension to Paul Street, which would connect Main and Liberty streets at the southern part of the property.
The developers were present at the public hearing, and attorney Todd Rhea, who represents them, said the developers are open to hearing community feedback and will participate “enthusiastically” in the discussions facilitated by city council in the coming weeks.
Rhea pointed to the city’s Downtown 2040 plan, sponsored by the city and Harrisonburg Downtown Renaissance, which calls for mixed-use residential development downtown in the area up for rezoning. Rhea said downtown needs more residents, and this would be “the largest economic investment ever made in downtown.”
The current R-3 zoning would allow only townhomes and would prevent the construction of infrastructure improvements and public parking planned for The Link.
Additionally, Rhea said the current zoning pushes development to the city and county periphery, resulting in property tax income for Rockingham, while Harrisonburg still gets burdened with the effects of increased traffic and crowds. He said The Link will bring business, income, and growth directly downtown to benefit the city.
“B-1 is your competitive advantage,” Rhea said.
Council members shared their thoughts after Fletcher’s presentation and before people from across the community spoke. Each council member emphasized that it is a complicated issue.
“We know we need housing, but we have to be strategic thinkers,” Mayor Deanna Reed said. “We can’t just sign off on anything that comes our way.”
Council member Monica Robinson said she was concerned about the longevity of a large private development at the “front of the city.” If it became a less popular spot to live in the future, she said there could be a decline in property quality in a large, visible complex.
Residents had their chance to speak after the presentations by city staff and project developers. Many spoke directly for or against the project, and others asked questions or brought up specific concerns they hope will be considered.
One common concern was that the project is in a prominent location along Main Street. Several residents who spoke called the site a “gateway” to downtown, and expressed fears that a large apartment building would “overshadow” more historic, and shorter, downtown buildings.
Other residents argued that aesthetics are subjective, and it is hard to build anything that looks nicer, with this much density, under modern building codes that have requirements, such as multiple exits.
Some spoke specifically about the loss of the Lindsey Funeral Home building, which sits on one of the 10 plots between Main and Liberty streets where The Link complex would take up.
JMU history professor Philip Herrington, who specializes in historic preservation, focused his remarks on local preservation laws and explained that while Harrisonburg’s downtown area is on the National Register of Historic Places, only local laws can actually enforce preservation over new construction. Without a historical preservation ordinance, new construction projects that can help generate more profits often take precedence over saving older buildings, which he said is a “death by a thousand cuts” for historic areas.
Another common concern — which residents, council members, developers and other stakeholders all touched on — is whether the project will help Harrisonburg’s housing needs. The city lacks affordable housing, and many were concerned The Link will not provide affordable housing to address that gap. Others argued that increasing the overall housing supply will help lower costs for the entire housing market.
Some units in The Link will have a four-bedroom layout designed to appeal to college students, up to 40% of the total number of units. Beyond those units, residents were fearful that student demand would raise prices on the whole building beyond an affordable price for others.
“It will just be another JMU dorm at the city entrance,” one Old Town resident said.
Others spoke about the potential of these apartments to serve many people and benefit the city. One young renter said this project leans into “what the more dense version of Harrisonburg could look like” in the future. However, he also said that despite speculation about alternatives or other future projects, right now “this is a vote between this project or nothing.” He and others worried that if the rezoning does not pass, it is likely nothing will be built.
“We don’t need to wait for perfect,” another resident said in support of the project.
In the current plan for development, the apartment complex will provide far fewer parking spots than bedrooms. The downtown location is expected to encourage apartment residents to walk, bike, or use other alternative transportation than cars. Developers plan to charge an extra fee for parking to further encourage alternative transportation.
For some people who spoke at Tuesday’s meeting, a housing project that encourages alternative transportation was a major plus. Several people said they favored the mixed-use, walkable style of housing that The Link plans to provide.
Other residents had concerns about traffic and parking impacts from the apartment, even with plans to encourage other transportation. They asked questions about the Traffic Impact Analysis, and whether neighborhood roads or student populations were considered and asked whether the limited parking within the development will lead people to fill public parking spots in along neighborhood roads.
Matt Winters, senior pastor at the nearby Harrisonburg Baptist Church, said his concerns were about parking for apartment residents and visitors spilling into the church parking lot, especially on Sundays. Although the lot is private, he said he hopes to “avoid playing a parking enforcement officer.”
Several business owners and residents said they expect the apartment complex to bring positive effects for nearby businesses and throughout the city.
One listing broker said he had a petition from downtown businesses in favor of the project with more than 100 signatures. He said the project supports “the city’s long term fiscal needs.”
Carl Larsson, who recently wrote against the development, told council that the “No to B-1C” petition had received more than 1,100 signatures at the start of the meeting. He and other residents organized opposition around concerns that the development will “overshadow” community spaces, negatively affect traffic and parking and alter the area’s character.
Although Tuesday was the official public hearing for the rezoning application, city officials and council members plan to continue gathering community feedback before the scheduled Sept. 23 vote.
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