The City of Harrisonburg is required to publicly advertise and provide notice for upcoming public hearings. This webpage will provide an additional resource for the public to be notified of upcoming public hearings.
Notice of Intent to Comply with Americans With Disabilities Act
Special assistance is available for disabled persons addressing City Council, Planning Commission, and Board of Zoning Appeals. Efforts will be made to provide adaptations or accommodations based on individual needs of qualified individuals with disabilities, provided that notification at least five (5) business days prior to the date of the meeting has been received by the City Clerk's Office. For assistance, please contact the City Clerk's Office, 409 S. Main Street City Hall, at 540-432-7701.
Language Interpretation Services Available
Language interpretation service in Spanish is available for City Council, Planning Commission, and Board of Zoning Appeals meetings. To ensure that interpreters are available at the meeting, interested persons must request the accommodation at least four (4) calendar days in advance of the meeting by contacting the City Clerk’s Office at 540-432-7701 or by submitting a request online.
Meeting Agendas, Reports, and Video
City’s streaming video website
Meeting agendas and staff reports are posted to our streaming media website approximately 5 days prior to meetings.
Interested parties will be able to attend the meeting and watch the meeting on Public Education Government Channel 1072, and the City’s streaming video website.
Upcoming Public Hearings
All files are in PDF format, unless otherwise noted.
City Council - May 26, 2026
Proposed Real Property Tax Increase
The City of Harrisonburg, Virginia proposes to increase property tax levies.
- Assessment Increase: Total assessed value of real property, excluding additional assessments due to new construction or improvements to property, exceeds last year’s total assessed value of real property by 2.5 percent.
- Lower Rate Necessary to Offset Increased Assessment: The tax rate which would levy the same amount of real estate tax as last year, when multiplied by the new total assessed value of real estate with the exclusions mentioned above, would be $0.986 per $100 of assessed value. This rate will be known as the “lowered tax rate.”
- Effective Rate Increase: The City of Harrisonburg, Virginia proposes to adopt a tax rate of $1.01 per $100 of assessed value. The difference between the lowered tax rate and the proposed rate would be $0.024 per $100, or 2.5 percent. This difference will be known as the “effective tax rate increase.” Individual property taxes may, however, increase at a percentage greater than or less than the above percentage.
- Proposed Total Budget Decrease: Based on the proposed real property tax rate and changes in other revenues, the total budget of the City of Harrisonburg, Virginia will be less than last year’s original adopted budget by 2.2 percent.
A public hearing on the increase will be held on May 26, 2026 at 7:00pm, or as soon as the agenda permits, in the Harrisonburg City Council Chambers located at 409 South Main Street, Harrisonburg, Virginia.
Members of the public are encouraged to participate and express their views by attending the meeting in person, or electronically by submitting comments, or by calling in during the public hearing at the telephone number to be listed on the agenda.
Board of Zoning Appeals (BZA) - June 1, 2026
The Board of Zoning Appeals for the City of Harrisonburg will hold a meeting on Monday, June 1, 2026, at 4pm in the City Council Chambers, 409 South Main Street, Harrisonburg, VA. The purpose of the meeting is:
- Election of officers.
- Review of the 2024 and 2025 annual summaries of Board of Zoning Appeals activities.
- Approval of the minutes of the previous meeting.
- Consideration of amendments to the Rules of Procedure for the Board of Zoning Appeals.
- Staff presentations for Board member education and training.
This meeting is open to the public but will not be a public hearing.
The BZA meets as needed on the first Monday of the month at 4:00pm at the City Council Chambers (409 South Main Street). Use the ground-level entrance, closest to Main Street in the front of the building to enter Council Chambers. Community members can also watch the meeting on the Local Access Programming Channel 1072 or on the City’s website. A phone line will also be live where individuals can call in and to speak during public hearings. The telephone number to call is 540-437-2687. Community members may also express their views electronically prior to the meeting by emailing Tyler.Blanks@harrisonburgva.gov.
Planning Commission Meeting - May 13, 2026
The Harrisonburg Planning Commission will hold public hearings in the City Council Chambers, 409 South Main Street, Harrisonburg, VA, on Wednesday, May 13, 2026, at 6:00pm, to consider the following:
Special Use Permit – 1315 Carrera Lane (Short-Term Rental in R-1)
A request from Kevin T. and Denise F. Goertzen for a special use permit per Section 10-3-34 (7) to allow a short-term rental in the R-1, Single-Family Residential District. The +/- 30,086-square foot property is addressed as 1315 Carrera Lane and is identified as tax map parcel 18-R-16.
Rezoning – 850 Canterbury Court (R-1 to R-8C)
A request from Robin L. Lake to rezone a +/- 12,692-square foot property from R-1, Single-Family Residential District to R-8C, Small Lot Residential District Conditional. The property is addressed as 850 Canterbury Court and is identified as tax map parcel 23-V-14.
Rezoning – 1351 and 1361 Peach Grove Avenue (R-5C (proffer amendment) & B-2 to R-5C)
A request from Skylar & Talli LLC and James Madison University Real Estate Foundation Inc to rezone two adjacent parcels totaling +/- 15.35-acres from R-5C, High Density Residential District Conditional and B-2, General Business District to R-5C, High Density Residential District Conditional. The parcels are addressed as 1351 & 1361 Peach Grove Avenue, are identified as tax map parcels 92-F-10 & 6, and are currently zoned R-5C and B-2, respectively.
Special Use Permit – 1351 and 1361 Peach Grove Avenue (To Allow Multiple-Family Dwellings of More Than 12 Units Per Building in R-5)
A request from Skylar & Talli LLC and James Madison University Real Estate Foundation Inc for a special use permit per Section 10-3-55.4 (1) to allow multiple-family dwellings of more than twelve (12) units per building in the R-5, High Density Residential District. The two adjacent parcels totaling +/- 15.35-acres are addressed as 1351 & 1361 Peach Grove Avenue and are identified as tax map parcels 92-F-10 & 6, respectively.
Rezoning – 1340 South Main Street (proffer amendment, R-5C)
A request from Marilyn S. Pendlebury to rezone a +/- 1.23-acre property to amend proffers for a property zoned R-5C, High Density Residential Conditional. The property is addressed as 1340 South Main Street and is identified as tax map parcel 18-R-22.
Special Use Permit - 1340 South Main Street (to allow multiple-family building with more than 12 units in R-5C)
A request from Marilyn S. Pendlebury for a special use permit per Section 10-3-55.4 (1) to allow multiple-family dwellings of more than twelve (12) units per building in the R-5C, High Density Residential District Conditional. The +/- 1.23-acre property is addressed as 1340 South Main Street and is identified as tax map parcel 18-R-22.
Special Use Permit - 1340 South Main Street (to allow retail, offices, restaurants, etc. in R-5C)
A request from Marilyn S. Pendlebury for a special use permit per Section 10-3-55.4 (4) to allow retail stores, convenience shops, personal service establishments, restaurants (excluding those with drive-through facilities), medical clinics, and business and professional offices under conditions set forth in subsections 10-3-55.6 (f) and (g) in the R-5C, High Density Residential District Conditional. The +/- 1.23-acre property is addressed as 1340 South Main Street and is identified as tax map parcel 18-R-22.
Applications and other information are available for review by contacting the Department of Community Development, 409 South Main Street, Monday through Friday, 8:00am to 5:00pm. Please call 540-432-7700 to obtain a copy by email or by appointment.
Community members may also express their views electronically prior to the meeting by emailing CDPlanning@harrisonburgva.gov.
Planning Commission meetings normally take place on the second Wednesday of every month and may include the third Tuesday of every month. The meetings begin at 6:00pm in City Council Chambers at 409 South Main Street, Harrisonburg. Use the ground-level entrance, closest to Main Street in the front of the building to enter Council Chambers.
Harrisonburg City Council must take action on many issues which require public notice under state law or city ordinances. Ordinances imposing or changing fees, levies, and taxes, land use actions (rezoning and special use permits), budget approvals or amendments, sale of city real estate, and many other issues require a public hearing that must be advertised in a newspaper having general circulation in the city.
While the Code of Virginia is very specific as to the notices required for specific actions, as a general rule, a public hearing must be advertised once a week for two consecutive weeks. There must be at least seven days between the first and second advertisements and the second advertisement shall not be more than ten days before the public hearing.