Planning commission recommends rezoning for 320 S. Main with conditions to ease downtown reuse

The Harrisonburg Planning Commission voted to forward a favorable recommendation to City Council for rezoning 320 South Main from the B-2 (General Business) District to B-1C (Central Business District with conditions), a move that staff said would give the property more flexibility for commercial and office uses while tying future changes to traffic, parking and pedestrian standards.

Staff planner (unnamed in the record) told commissioners the existing building is about 4,670 square feet and currently houses multiple professional and retail tenants. The property is designated Mixed Use in the city comprehensive plan. The applicant proposed three proffers that staff said promote pedestrian-friendly development by prohibiting drive-through facilities, restricting vehicle parking between the front of the building and South Main Street, and limiting new traffic generation to no more than 100 new vehicle trips in a peak hour without a traffic impact analysis (TIA). Staff recommended approval of the rezoning with the submitted proffers.

The staff presentation noted a 1960 building permit on the parcel that required 20 parking spaces for commercial use; the current surface lot, however, is a one-way layout that requires some cars to back onto Federal Street. The applicant told the commission they will mark the two parking spaces closest to Federal Street as no-parking to reduce the number of cars that must back into the public right-of-way.

“Staff believes that rezoning this property to B-1C with the submitted proffers conforms to the city's comprehensive plan,” the planner said during the presentation.

Marshall Price, who identified himself as an owner of the building along with his brother Ed Price, said the owners intend to continue operating the building as office and professional space and that they would mark off the two spaces nearest Federal Street. “We didn't realize that,” Marshall Price said of the parking issue. “We'll put X's on there and no parking.”

Commissioners expressed general support. Commissioner Porter said the rezoning “gives more flexibility to the property owners to adapt it as needed” and that it conforms with surrounding properties. Commissioners also asked how the proffer that caps new trips at 100 peak-hour vehicle trips would be enforced; staff said enforcement would occur through triggers such as TIA scoping during site-plan review, change-of-use building permit reviews and, in some cases, follow-up prompted by public complaints. The planner explained that the city uses the Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE) trip-generation manual and public-works engineers to calculate trip estimates and determine whether a TIA is required.

Vice Chair Finnegan moved to approve the rezoning recommendation; Commissioner Alcindy seconded. A roll-call vote recorded all members present voting in favor: Commissioner Porter, Commissioner Nardi, Council member Dent, Commissioner Alcindy, Vice Chair Finnegan and the chair (voice recorded as aye). The commission’s recommendation will go to City Council (the staff and commission record named August 12 as the council hearing date).

Votes at a glance - Rezoning: 320 South Main (B-2 to B-1C, with proffers) — Motion: approve recommendation to City Council; Mover: Vice Chair Finnegan; Seconder: Commissioner Alcindy; Outcome: favorable recommendation to City Council (unanimous among members present).

Next steps The rezoning recommendation will be scheduled for City Council review. If the property’s uses change in the future, building-permit reviews, change-of-use processes and the ITE-based TIA procedures described by staff would be the mechanisms to confirm compliance with the traffic proffer.

Sources: Harrisonburg Planning Department staff presentation; applicant remarks by Marshall Price; Planning Commission roll-call vote (recorded in meeting transcript).