Work on one of the City of Harrisonburg’s guiding principles is progressing, as the city held a virtual meeting last week to share information and to gather feedback on the future of housing in The Friendly City.
Now, more input is needed before the Comprehensive Housing Assessment & Market Study moves forward.
An input survey, in addition to a recording of last week’s presentation, is available at www.harrisonburgva.gov/housing-study. All who are interested may take the survey and leave voicemails with comments about the study or presentation at 540-433- 1390.
Materials will be translated upon request by contacting Assistant to the City Manager Amy Snider at [email protected] or 540-432-7701.
“We hope the community found the information useful and will use this opportunity to remain involved and to inform us of other ideas and thoughts as we continue moving forward,” Director of Community Development Adam Fletcher said. “Improving the local housing situation for everyone will be more successful when we all work together.”
A vital tenet of the Harrisonburg City Council’s Vision & Priorities plan is Available Housing for All. One objective of this priority was to complete a comprehensive housing plan.
To address this objective, the city contracted with consulting firm Mullin & Lonergan Associates Inc. in July to partner with staff on the citywide Comprehensive Housing Assessment & Market Study. This study’s initial draft includes data on demographics, economic conditions, homeownership market, the rental housing market, students and student housing, housing with supportive services, current programs, organizations, and projects, trends and needs, financial gaps, and barriers.
The study consists of recommendations that are based on nationwide best practices to address housing concerns. In addition to the recommendations, the study provides an analysis of affordability for homeownership and renting throughout all population and income segments of the city, details current demographics and housing stock, and analyzes barriers preventing the market from effectively responding to the housing demands.
City officials hope the effort provides a better understanding of the local housing market and that the recommendations assist the entire community in improving all current and future Harrisonburg residents.
More information on the Comprehensive Housing Assessment & Market Study is available at www.harrisonburgva.gov/housingstudy.
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