Harrisburg holds public hearing, first reading on rezoning of Lot 2, Ricks Addition

HARRISBURG — The City of Harrisburg on April 1 held a public hearing and conducted the first reading of Ordinance 2025-02, a request from S and T LLC to rezone Lot 2, Block 1 of the Ricks Addition from R-3 residential to General Business.

Planning staff told the council the applicant, Michael Early of S and T LLC, proposes a two-story building with an office on the west end and the remainder configured for climate-controlled storage units in sizes ranging from 5-by-5 feet to 10-by-10 feet. The Planning Commission recommended approval by a 5-2 vote, staff said.

The rezoning drew multiple residents to the podium raising concerns about traffic, public safety and neighborhood compatibility. Evelyn, a resident who lives directly across from the parcel at 1435 Murray Place, said the lot sits on a private road and warned that moving trucks and box trucks associated with storage access could create hazardous conditions for children and local drivers. "It's gonna be on it's a private road ... there's a lot of people that live on that road. There's homes, families, children," Evelyn said, adding fears about parking and how large vehicles would navigate the lane.

Nick McConnell, who also lives at 1435 Murray Place, told the council the road already carries high school traffic and that larger vehicles or increased parking would make passing and student traffic riskier. "We have lots of kids driving ... having big items here just seems almost impossible to get through," McConnell said.

At the meeting a councilmember questioned whether the property owner could achieve rental income without changing zoning, noting that garage-style vehicle storage or tenant garages might be possible within R-3 without rezoning. Planning staff replied that climate-controlled storage would be a conditional use in General Business and, if the owner later proposed storage specifically, they would need to return to the Planning Commission for conditional-use review.

Several council members expressed concern about the site's private access and the potential for future non-storage commercial uses if rezoned. One councilmember noted that approving General Business zoning could permit other uses — for example, a car wash — that would generate different traffic patterns and volumes than the applicant's stated plan.

The item proceeded as a public hearing and first reading; no final adoption of the ordinance was recorded during the meeting. The applicant remained in attendance and city staff said the matter would return to the council for subsequent readings or applications required by the conditional-use process if storage were pursued.

Why it matters: Rezoning from residential to commercial changes permitted uses and long-term development potential on the parcel and could alter traffic and safety conditions on a private lane used by families and students.

What’s next: The ordinance had its first reading and a public hearing. If council advances the ordinance to a subsequent reading or approves conditional-use permits later, additional public notice and votes would be required.