Community voices shape Harrisonburg’s Northeast Neighborhood plan

HARRISONBURG, Va. (WHSV) – Months of community input are coming together in a new small area plan for Harrisonburg’s Northeast neighborhood. The plan aims to improve infrastructure, honor history, and guide future development.

The plan is a collaborative effort known as the Community Connectors, which consists of the city of Harrisonburg, the Shenandoah Valley Black Heritage Project, the Northeast Neighborhood Association, and Harrisonburg Downtown Renaissance. It addresses key issues identified by residents, including zoning, housing density, food access, transportation, and environmental concerns.

“We put that information into goals, which have strategies listed beneath,” said Monica Robinson, executive director of the Shenandoah Valley Black Heritage Project. “Hopefully, [it] resonates with what Northeast neighborhood residents said they wanted to see, some of the strong points of their neighborhood, and some of their desires for the future.”

Robinson also serves on the city council and is a resident of the Northeast neighborhood. She said her connection to the area gives her a personal stake in the plan’s outcomes.

“This is not just a document. It tells our story and what we want for the next generation,” Robinson said. “How the city has a comprehensive plan, we have a small-area plan.”

While not part of the small area plan, potential changes to North Mason Street are also underway through a separate initiative: the Complete Streets Demonstration Project.

In partnership with the nonprofit Smart Growth America, the city is testing temporary traffic adjustments along North Mason Street between East Market and North Main Streets. The project aims to improve safety, accessibility and connectivity for all users. The city has not yet determined what traffic adjustments will be made.

Although separate, the demonstration project complements the broader mobility goals identified in the Community Connectors engagement process that shaped the Northeast Neighborhood Plan.

During Urban Renewal, many homes and businesses were demolished to reconfigure and widen Mason Street into the four-lane street it is today. Robinson said North Mason Street has often acted as a barrier between downtown and surrounding neighborhoods. Temporary installations, such as lane reductions and crosswalk improvements, will remain in place for at least a month while the city collects community feedback and traffic data.

According to Robinson, the final version of the Community Connectors small area plan is expected to be completed and presented to the city council by August. If you missed the recent resident input meeting and would like to provide input on the small area plan, you can email the councilwoman Robinson at Monica.Robinson@HarrisonburgVA.gov.

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