HARRISONBURG, Va — Harrisonburg City Council turned down a rezoning request to construct several dozen townhomes off of Port Republic Road.

The housing project, called Weston Park, would have developed four parcels of land spanning nearly 20 acres, with a plan to build a maximum of 128 units.

However, the council voted 3-2 against the proposal at this week’s meeting. One of the dissenting votes was Mayor Deanna Reed.

“We know that we have approved so much, but what exactly is that and what do we have waiting for us?” Reed asked during the meeting. “Where do we get to a point where too much is too much?”

Since January of 2021, there have been 584 townhome units that have received use-approval from Harrisonburg City Council.

Bow Hunting in Harrisonburg 

The Harrisonburg City Council voted last night to amend an ordinance that will expand urban archery during all available seasons and will also allow archery on city-owned property, with permission from the city manager.

City Attorney Chris Brown said during the meeting that a suggestion from a local State Conservation Officer prompted him to consider changing the ordinance.

“He told us: ‘look, if you want to limit hunting in the City of Harrisonburg to archery, you can do that, but you can’t limit the animals you can hunt with archery,’” Brown said. “That’s the state’s prerogative.”

The amended ordinance makes elk and bear fair game for archery hunters in Harrisonburg.