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Commission backs rezoning of portion of South Main Street parcel to R3 to preserve historic dwelling
Summary
The Planning Commission recommended rezoning a roughly 3-acre portion of a 13.14-acre parcel at 262580 South Main Street to R3 to make two historically nonconforming dwellings conforming; the owner proffered limits on units, prohibited fraternity/college use and agreed to traffic-impact review if certain thresholds are exceeded.
The Harrisonburg Planning Commission on Jan. 14 voted to recommend rezoning a roughly three-acre portion of a larger parcel at 262580 South Main Street from its current designation to R3 (resident medium-density residential).
Staff explained the parcel contains two nonconforming dwellings and an accessory barn; rezoning the selected portion would make the two dwellings conforming to the zoning ordinance. The planner noted R3 allows multiple principal buildings but requires at least 20 feet of open space between building walls; the measured gap between two of the applicant's structures is about 12 feet, which would remain nonconforming to that particular requirement. Staff also said the rezoning would render adjacent M1 (industrial) buildings nonconforming to M1 setback requirements, but the applicant family owns those storage units so no other property owner would be affected.
Applicant Todd Stone described the main house as historic (built circa 1805) and said his family has lived on the property continuously; he said the family wants to live in and preserve the house. The applicant proffered three conditions: limiting the site to no more than three dwelling units, prohibiting fraternities/college buildings, and requiring a traffic impact analysis and mitigation if traffic generated exceeds 100 vehicle trips during a peak hour.
Commissioners discussed the trade-offs of resolving one nonconformity while creating another (setback nonconformity for the adjacent M1 parcel) and whether commercial uses allowed in R3 were consistent with the land-use guide. After questions and public comment, the commission voted to forward a favorable recommendation to City Council.
