A contributed perspectives piece by Sarah Baker-McEvilly
Four years ago, I opened BMC Bakes in downtown Harrisonburg. What started in the kitchen of my first downtown apartment has grown into a storefront on Main Street, a business built with love for this town and the incredible support of our community.
But like many small businesses in Harrisonburg, we face a troubling cycle of surviving summers, recovering in fall, and bracing for the next downturn through winter and spring. The truth is, businesses like mine can’t rely on seasonal booms alone. We need more consistent foot traffic, more year-round vibrancy, and most importantly, more residents living downtown.
That’s why I support the development of The Link.
The Link is a chance to strengthen our economy and keep Harrisonburg vibrant. By bringing as many as 600 new residents to the south side of downtown, it would place hundreds of potential customers within walking distance of our local shops, restaurants, and services. For small businesses, this isn’t just welcome news; it’s essential to long-term viability.
Harrisonburg hasn’t seen a new multifamily development in 16 years and we’ve seen the negative consequences of underbuilding. Our city now has the lowest rental vacancy rate and corresponding the largest rental price increases in Virginia. This shortage makes it hard for middle class families, young professionals and workers of all backgrounds to afford to stay in Harrisonburg. We cannot afford to keep underbuilding. The solution to affordability is more supply at all income levels. Projects like The Link expand the housing stock in walkable, bike-friendly ways that actually address demand, rather than pushing development outward into farmland and county limits.
It is important to recognize that Harrisonburg’s growth will happen, one way or another. We can sprawl outward, paving farmland and diverting tax revenue away from our city’s core, or we can grow upward, welcoming new neighbors who will shop at our businesses, walk our streets, and invest in our community. The Link is projected to generate $600,000 a year in tax revenue—quadruple the contribution of the low-density townhomes that will be built if rezoning is denied. The choice could not be clearer.
It’s also untrue that this project is simply repackaged “student housing”. That narrative ignores the reality of our growing community. Downtown developments increasingly attract young professionals drawn by the hospital, our growing job base, and the vitality of Main Street. My own commercial space is in the Kavanaugh Flats and Lofts, which is a mix of students and professionals, some of whom even work for me. The Link will only deepen this integration, making downtown a more diverse and sustainable neighborhood.
For me, this isn’t abstract. It’s about whether businesses like mine can continue to thrive. Without projects like The Link, our downtown economy risks stagnation. With it, we create opportunities not just for current businesses, but for the next generation of entrepreneurs who want to invest here.
Harrisonburg will grow no matter what. The question is how. Do we sprawl outward and lose what makes our city special? Or do we embrace smart, sustainable growth that keeps our downtown strong?
For my bakery, and for countless local businesses, the answer is clear: we need The Link.
Sarah Baker-McEvilly is the owner of BMC Bakes, a gluten-free bakery she started out of her home in 2022 and grew into a downtown Harrisonburg storefront. Before launching her business, she served in the U.S. Army and worked in national politics with a U.S. senator and several nonprofits. She now focuses on building inclusive community spaces through her bakery and local partnerships.