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Council approves rezoning of 320 South Main Street to B‑1C with proffers
Summary
The City Council voted unanimously to rezone 320 South Main Street (Elm Office Complex) from B‑2 to B‑1C with three proffers addressing drive‑throughs, parking placement and a traffic threshold tied to future traffic impact analysis (TIA).
HARRISONBURG, Va. — The Harrisonburg City Council on Aug. 12 approved rezoning 320 South Main Street, the Elm Office Complex, from B‑2 (General Business) to B‑1C (Central Business, conditional), a move staff said will give the property more flexibility for mixed uses while attaching three voluntary proffers to the site.
City Director of Community Development Adam Fletcher told the council the property is roughly 11,000 square feet with a roughly 4,600‑square‑foot building and multiple existing tenants. He said the site currently has nonconforming parking and an awkward one‑way angled layout that creates unsafe backing maneuvers into Federal Street. Fletcher said staff recommended approval after the applicant submitted three proffers that the city and planning commission found acceptable.
The three proffers prohibit drive‑through facilities; prohibit locating a parking lot between the building and South Main Street; and limit combined “traffic‑generating uses” on the site to no more than 100 vehicle trips in either the AM or PM peak hour. Fletcher said the 100‑vehicle threshold is the point at which the city may require a traffic impact analysis (TIA) and any mitigation it recommends.
Marshall Price, who said he and his brother have owned the building since the 1980s, told council the owners plan to continue renting the property as they have for decades and want certainty on permitted uses.
Two members of the public asked how the 100‑vehicle threshold will be monitored and whether removing two spaces near the right‑of‑way — an option the applicant has discussed informally — would be permitted to remain removed. Fletcher said the city typically enforces parking and use changes when owners apply for building permits or change‑of‑use approvals; he added that removing the two spaces could make the site less nonconforming and might mean the city would not allow the spaces to be reinstalled later.
The motion to approve the rezoning with the submitted proffers passed on a roll‑call vote: Council members AlSaduon, Dent, Robinson, Vice Mayor Fleming and Mayor Dina Reed all voted aye.
The rezoning becomes effective following the required administrative steps for a conditional rezoning; council did not attach additional conditions beyond the applicant’s proffers.
