By Megan Cullins and Lizzie Stone, contributors
The city council, for a second time, will hear from people about the proposed downtown apartment complex, called The Link, during the council’s April 28 meeting.
Plans for The Link development, which has drawn opposition from some downtown residents but support from those who want more housing in the city, moved through the Harrisonburg Planning Commission with a favorable recommendation last month. Council members may make their first vote after the public hearing.
The proposed six-story apartment project would include a maximum of 250 units, as well as 2,000 to 5,000 square feet of retail space and a minimum of 480 off-street parking spots. It has generated debate among city residents and supporters and opponents across Harrisonburg since it first went before the city council last August. Council members initially tabled their vote, but the proposal had to return to the planning commission because of a problem with the initial public hearing.
On March 11, the planning commission voted 5-1 to recommend the rezoning of the Lindsay Funeral Home, the proposed site of the Link Apartments building, from a low density residential zone to higher density B-1C zoning.
Similar to last fall’s public hearing with the city council, people turned out for the March planning commission to voice their opinions about the project. They filled the planning commission’s meeting room and called in on the open phone line to register their thoughts on rezoning the downtown lot.
“I’m very proud of the civic process that occurred here this evening, and I want to thank all of you for your thoughtful comments,” said Shannon Porter, vice chair of the planning commission, after public comment closed. “This will be a better process because of what has occurred. I want to thank all of you for your time and your willingness to come here and sit here tonight.”
A majority of residents spoke in opposition to the rezoning with many people wearing “No to B-1C” buttons. People raised a range of concerns throughout the night, with one of the biggest being the impact on traffic.
The Link’s developers brought an updated traffic analysis that added Paul Street to its study of the effects that the influx of traffic could have on the surrounding area.
Some residents argued the traffic analysis only studied peak morning and afternoon traffic with ideal driving patterns, and did not study south-bound traffic.
“Students do not drive rationally,” one community member told the planning commission. “They do not make logical traffic decisions…so your traffic studies do not incorporate the rationale of students driving in an irrational manner.”
One of the chief arguments in support of the development is that it would bring more housing to Harrisonburg’s tight — and increasingly expensive — housing market.
Attorney Todd Rhea, who represents the rezoning applicant, said The Link Apartments will allow for more affordable housing.
Rent for a unit in Link Apartments is expected to be more than $1,000. Harrisonburg resident Valerie Sulfaro, a JMU political science professor, told the planning commission that such a rate wouldn’t qualify as affordable housing.
It’s not just that the city has a dearth of affordable housing. Another issue with Harrisonburg’s market is that it lacks higher-end housing, so wealthier homeowners end up buying below their means, further squeezing middle- and lower income residents, according to a 2020 housing report that the city commissioned.
The increased housing availability The Link Apartments would bring could alleviate some of the pressure on the market, proponents have argued.
A community member who spoke during public comment said, “Harrisonburg needs affordable housing not available housing.”
The city council must approve any rezoning for the development to move forward.
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