Subject:
Title
Presentation of City Parcels and Affordable Housing
Body
Presented By: Liz Webb, Housing Coordinator
Recommendation and Review
New residential development expands the local housing inventory, playing a vital role in addressing housing needs. Suitable development sites in Harrisonburg are a valuable commodity. The 2021 Comprehensive Housing Assessment and Market Study recommended assessing City-owned assets for affordable and/or mixed income residential development.
For the Housing Study, staff inventoried parcels that could be appropriate for affordable housing. Considering factors such as size, location, and ownership, they identified ten potential development sites, including the following two City-owned parcels:
• Neff Avenue - 7.6-acres (undeveloped) by Dream Come True playground.
• Central Avenue - 7.7 acres (undeveloped) by Keister Elementary School.
Staff sought to analyze the potential of the sites to be developed overall; add density; and offer affordability. A Community Impact Grant from Virginia Housing enabled staff to engage contractor LPDA to complete a site plan, feasibility study, and preliminary engineering report of the Neff Avenue and Central Avenue sites.