Posted on April 3, 2008
Contractors began work on the new Shoppes and Residences March 24, at 865 East near the intersection of Devon Lane and Port Republic Road. This seven-story high-rise will be the first of its kind in Harrisonburg.
The official groundbreaking ceremony is set for April 16. Clearing and excavating work has already started on the property in order to prepare for the building to begin.
The building will provide luxurious, upscale, student housing on the top five floors, about 16,000 square feet of retail space on the ground floor, and a large walk-out basement.
“There will be 274 bedrooms spread out over 96 individual units,” said Jamie Porter, marketing director for the development.
Since the building will add more traffic to Port Republic Road, plans are in the works for adding an extra right turn lane onto Devon Lane and the facility will have a right turn in, right turn out onto Port Republic Road.
Dan Hammond, president of Hammond Asset Management, said the apartments will be available to students in August 2009.
Khalid Nadim, a resident of the Commons, an apartment complex adjacent to the future building, likes the idea.
“I think it’s a good idea to offer upscale housing off campus,” he said. “I’m sure some people would be willing to pay more for the extra luxury. I’d live there.”
Rent prices will be noticeably higher at the Shoppes and Residences at 865 East. But Dan Hammond believes the rooms will be well worth the cost.
“Something like this has never been done before,” he said. “If someone is willing to pay for more upscale accommodations, the views, the security of the building, and its proximity to campus, they will find themselves very happy with these new apartments.”
The building will be the first high-rise in Harrisonburg to use R-5 zoning, which allows buildings above three stories. With all recent and projected growth at JMU, Alex Adjei, the coordinator of Off-Campus Life, believes that high-rise construction may become more common.
“Unless the city can continue to expand outwards, we will have no other choice than to expand upwards,” Adjei said. “Land availability is decreasing fast.”
Hammond believes his new development may even lesson the current strain of traffic.
“It’s close enough where it’s feasible to walk to campus,” he said. “The buses are going to increase their scheduled trips as well. Traffic studies by VDOT say [the new building] will alleviate heavy traffic because stores and restaurants will be so close by. Instead of people driving to these places, they can just walk there.”
As James Madison University continues to expand – by 2010 there will be an estimated 21,500 undergraduates – the demand for off-campus housing will hit new highs.
“The housing situation has been pretty tight lately,” Adjei said. “This high-rise is going to contribute a great deal toward the housing demand. It will definitely attract students.”
