Council approves rezoning at 910 North Liberty Street amid floodplain concerns for proposed child care center

Harrisonburg City Council voted unanimously Oct. 14 to rezone 910 North Liberty Street from M‑1 (General Industrial District) to B‑2C (General Business District, conditional), allowing the property owner to pursue a new use for the 2,300‑square‑foot building and enabling a lease to Little Roots Early Learning Center.

The rezoning request, introduced by Adam Fletcher, director of community development, included two written proffers from the applicant: prohibiting funeral homes, vehicle fueling stations and drive‑through facilities on the site, and agreeing to complete a traffic impact analysis (TIA) if future uses generate at least 100 vehicle trips per day. Fletcher told council the parcel is almost entirely within the floodplain and that staff “does not endorse the idea of locating a child care center on this parcel due to…