Amy Snyder, deputy city manager for the City of Harrisonburg, told the Harrisonburg Development and Housing Authority on Jan. 15 that the city has a $130,000 Community Connectors grant — funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and administered by Smart Growth America — to support planning and community engagement intended to reconnect the Northeast neighborhood and downtown along the Mason Street corridor.

The City of Harrisonburg is using the grant for four main components: a small‑area plan that can be appended to the comprehensive plan, a facilitated dialogue process to provide trauma‑informed space for residents to share harms and experiences from urban renewal, a program of historical research to identify displaced households and property records, and a community‑led, temporary demonstration project for Mason Street. Snyder said the city also has technical assistance provided directly by Smart Growth America in addition to the $130,000 in grant funding: "we are doing all of this with $130,000 in grant funding and then additional free technical assistance funding from Smart Growth America," she told commissioners.

Why it matters: The work is explicitly framed as addressing past harms from urban renewal in the 1950s–60s. Snyder said the project aims to rebuild trust between residents of the Northeast neighborhood and city institutions, document who was displaced and where they went, and produce a neighborhood vision that can steer future capital, zoning and grant decisions. Residents and commissioners raised questions about access to historical records and representation of the housing authority on the city’s steering committee.

Key components and near‑term steps
- Small‑area plan: The project team will hold a principal event for the small‑area plan at 11 a.m. Feb. 15 at the Lucy Sim Center. The plan is intended to produce maps and written recommendations that the city can incorporate into its comprehensive plan and capital decisions.
- Design charrette and Mason Street demonstration: A design charrette is scheduled for March 13 focused on Mason Street corridor changes; the demonstration is intended to be short‑term, testable changes that could inform later permanent work or grant applications.
- Outreach and research: The team began outreach during summer events and held a kickoff on Nov. 9 and a virtual meeting on Dec. 9; a community survey was described as forthcoming in January. The city is preparing to hire or contract a historical research team to compile relocation files, property acquisition records and other documents required historically by HUD.

Snyder said the city has already begun inventorying material and that researchers will seek records such as residential relocation files, property acquisition records and minutes from HRHA and city council meetings. She described parts of Mason Street as having been called "an invisible wall between the Northeast neighborhood and downtown," a phrasing she said residents used to describe the corridor’s effect.

HRHA involvement and records
During the presentation Amy Snyder invited participation from the Harrisonburg Development and Housing Authority (HRHA). Snyder told the board that HRHA Executive Director Michael Wong had already offered access to HRHA minutes from the period of urban renewal and that the research team will request other relevant documents. Board discussion focused on trust and timing: several commissioners said they were surprised HRHA had not been involved earlier in the city’s work, and staff outlined that early outreach had prioritized building trust with community members before expanding the steering committee.

Board members and staff discussed whether HRHA should name a staff or board representative for the project steering committee. HRHA staff member Dwayne Bontrager had signaled interest in participating; board members said they would follow up with HRHA leadership and check availability for future meetings. Snyder said the grant period formally ends in June but that the city expects the work and relationships to continue beyond the grant term.

Other items mentioned to the board
Snyder and HRHA staff briefly reviewed unrelated operational updates during the meeting: negotiations on Bluestone Town Center financing, progress at Commerce Village 2, exploration of combining renovation projects at Lineweaver Annex and JR Poly Lineweaver to improve financing opportunities, and receipt of a Family Self‑Sufficiency grant that will add staffing capacity. Those items were discussed as part of routine board business and are not part of the Community Connectors grant.

Votes at a glance
- Approval of minutes (Nov. 20, 2024): Motion and second; voice vote, all present said "aye." Outcome: approved.
- Approval of financial reports (November & December 2024): Motion and second; voice vote, all present said "aye." Outcome: approved.
- Approval of management reports (including monthly maintenance/occupancy reports): Motion and second; voice vote, all present said "aye." Outcome: approved.
- Adjournment: Motion and second; voice vote, all present said "aye." Outcome: approved.

What’s next
City staff and community partners will continue outreach, release a neighborhood survey, complete the design charrette and pursue the historical research scope that will search for relocation files and property records. HRHA said it will review internal records and discuss representation for the steering committee with its executive leadership.

Direct quotes in this article are from Amy Snyder, deputy city manager for the City of Harrisonburg.