HARRISONBURG, Va. — The Harrisonburg Planning Commission on Oct. 8 recommended approving a rezoning request for 320 South Main Street that would change the property from B‑2 (General Business) to B‑1 (Central Business), eliminate minimum off‑street parking requirements and add proffers that bar drive‑thru uses.

Planner Meg Reppke told the commission the 4,670‑square‑foot building fronts South Main with an angled, one‑way rear parking lot that currently requires vehicles to back onto the public right of way. The lot was constructed under a 1960 permit that required 20 parking spaces for commercial use; current development standards would not allow that configuration for new construction.

Under current B‑2 standards, a combination of office and retail uses could require between 16 and 24 parking spaces; the existing lot provides up to 20. Rezoning to B‑1 would remove minimum off‑street parking requirements downtown where walking, biking and transit are encouraged, Reppke said.

The applicant submitted three proffers: prohibit drive‑thru facilities, prevent parking in front of the building (to preserve a pedestrian‑friendly frontage), and require a traffic impact analysis for any proposed use that would generate 100 or more peak‑hour trips. With those conditions staff recommended approval.

Ed Price, the family owner and applicant, said the family has owned the building since 1960 and plans to continue office and retail uses; he said the last two rear parking spaces will be designated as no‑parking turnaround areas with signage to improve safety.

One caller during public comment urged caution about reducing parking minimums without considering wider effects and called for attention to public notice processes; commissioners noted the city had to re‑advertise the public hearing after an earlier advertising error and that the current rehearing did not substantially change the application.

Commissioners said downtown is an appropriate location for more flexible parking rules and welcomed the no‑drive‑thru proffer as a way to reduce pedestrian conflict points. The commission voted unanimously to recommend approval; the rezoning will be forwarded to City Council with a favorable recommendation.