A Vision of Harrisonburg and Rockingham County in 2020

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A Vision of Harrisonburg and Rockingham County in
2020
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Tools for Planning our Future

• Comprehensive Plan
• Transportation Plan
• Economic Strategy

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Our Goals

• To have healthy, managed growth
• To retain the essential historic attributes
• To protect the natural environmental resources
• To retain the beauty of the farmland and
  mountains
• To maintain a balanced and vibrant economy
• To develop a safe and convenient transportation
  system

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By 2020

• People
• Homes
• Jobs
• Roads
• Economic Development

Anticipate population, housing, and employment
growth rates to continue at a steady pace.
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Population Growth
PROJECTIONS
Estimate
Comprehensive Plan Recommendation
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Our Employment Opportunities
MAJOR EMPLOYERS

• Manufacturing
• 100-299 Employees
• Concrete products
• Soy Products
• Telecommunications equipment
• 300-599 Employees
• Extruded products
• Malt beverages
• Plastic bottles
• Poultry processing
• Publishing printing
• 600-999 Employees
• Motor vehicle parts
• Poultry processing
• 1,000-1,499 Employees

• Non-Manufacturing
• 600-999 Employees
• Distribution
• Retail Distribution
• 1,500 2,499 Employees
• Health Care
• 2,500 4,999 Employees
• Education

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Employment Growth
PROJECTIONS
Comprehensive Plan Recommendation
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Our New Homes
Source City and County Community Development
Departments
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Housing Growth
PROJECTIONS
Comprehensive Plan Recommendation
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Our Roads

• Planning
• Urban Planning (MPO Boundary)
• Rural Area Planning (Remainder of the County)
• Funding?

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MPO Transportation Plan Priority Projects
Stone Spring Road - Erickson Ave connector and
Stone Spring extension - Widen/Construct 4-lanes
connecting Erickson Stone Spring, reconstruct
railroad crossing at Pear Street, pedestrian/bike
facility
Port Republic Road widening to 4-lane major
arterial (from East city limits of Harrisonburg
to Route 704 Boyers Rd)
Port Republic Road widening to 4-lane major
arterial with pedestrian and bike facility from
Neff Avenue to East City Limits
Stone Spring Road Widening - widen Stone Spring
Rd to 4-lane facility, realigned to tie into
Reservoir Street (County portion)
Reservoir Street (Evelyn Byrd to East City
Limits) - Widen to 5 lane medium arterial
facility pedestrian/bike facility enhance
traffic flow (City portion)
Stone Spring Road Extension from Port Republic to
Route 33 crossing Route 704 (Boyers Road)
Reservoir Street (City limits to Stone Springs
Road) - Widen to 5 lane medium arterial facility
pedestrian/bike facility enhance traffic flow
(County portion)
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Our Economy

• To increase technology job opportunities
• To attract jobs that pay above-average wages
• To attract capital-intensive operations
• To assist growing companies to expand in the
  region

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Major Initiatives

• Continue pro-active marketing effort aimed at
  biosciences, information security firms and
  technology developers
• Encourage expansions from NoVA and
  Washington-Baltimore corridor into the Shenandoah
  Valley
• Harrisonburg Downtown Technology Zone, Rockingham
  Center for Research and Technology, and
  Harrisonburg Technology Park will all be major
  components of this focused marketing effort.

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Technology Zones
Major Initiatives

• Rockingham County Board of Supervisors created
  technology zones to encourage development of its
  industrial tax base by the use of incentives to
  attract certain investment or encourage expansion
  of existing companies.
• Creation of 2 Technology Zones
• South Fork
• Bridgewater Aviation

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Technology Zones
Major Initiatives

• City Council created technology zones to
  encourage clustering of technology developers in
  either a business park setting or in the heart of
  downtown Harrisonburg. The City offers
  incentives to attract both new investment and
  high-tech employment opportunities for local
  residents.
• Creation of 2 Technology Zones
• Harrisonburg Technology Park
• Downtown (HDTZ)

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Utilizing Economic Revitalization Zones
Major Initiatives

• VA legislation - became effective July 1, 2007
• Allows VA localities the ability to offer
  incentives to encourage NEW construction within a
  specific zone
• Most incentives are currently geared toward
  rehabilitation of existing buildings
• This tool was adopted to help with in-fill
  development and re-development in the northern
  end of downtown Harrisonburg

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Redevelopment Area Designation
Major Initiatives

• Harrisonburg Redevelopment Housing Authority
  and City Council designated section of Citys
  northern downtown as a redevelopment area.
• City worked with VHDA and Pinnacle Construction
  to encourage development of a mixed-use project
  offering retail/office space, workforce housing,
  and market-rate housing.

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Projects Placed in the Pipeline - 2008 2009

• Housing Units 1,430
• Retail 1.8 million square feet
• Business Complex 2.2 million square feet
• Services 423,000 square feet
• Industrial, Educational, Technology-Related
  Investments 203 million

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HDTZ Companies

• Rosetta Stone
• Gravity Group
• Immerge Technologies
• Digico
• eValley.com
• Digital Phenom
• Eren Corporation
• High Speed Link

• The Resource Network
• Blue Key Web Studios
• Vision Technology Group
• MLC Advertising
• Venture Interactive
• Estland Design

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www.hrchamber.org