Our 2040 Vision Progress Report
#2
Connect to the region’s beauty.
Provide a sense of arrival with art and paintings.
Public Works added native plants throughout downtown and created a Pollinator Walk in 2021. They added native trees to two gateway corridors.
The City, HDR, and the Arts Council of the Valley collaborated to install a gateway sculpture on the northern arrival corridor. “The Beacon” by Artist Nick Brinen was installed in 2024.
#5
Expand network of “off-menu” paths.
Evolve Federal Street as a shared street, designed for people first but providing vehicular access as needed.
Public Works completed the shared use path along Federal Street in 2024.
#7
Create new open spaces that bring people together.
Build a destination Downtown park to serve all ages and a range of programming.
Build Our Park received city council support to move forward with an urban park located behind city hall near the Turner Pavilion. The nonprofit group is actively fundraising.
HDR received a $75,000 DIG grant in late 2023 to fund a park (in combination with $40,000 in raffle proceeds) at the Church of the Incarnation’s parking lot. We are trying to close a funding gap so the project can proceed.
HDR received a $75,000 DIG grant in 2024 to build a public greenspace and outdoor working space to replace the part of the parking lot at the Harrisonburg Innovation Hub. JMU architecture students gave us three designs in spring 2025 and an RFP will be posted in the fall.
#10
Redesign Main & Liberty to serve Downtown as a destination.
Repurpose one travel lane on Liberty Street for cyclists instead of drivers.
Public Works secured $14.3M in federal RAISE grants for the recommended cycle track on Liberty Street to improve bike-ped safety and reduce auto usage. Construction starts 2027. This will also help bridge connections into downtown from the Bluestone Trail.
#11
Showcase Downtown’s history and identity in the Streetscape. Bring hidden narratives to life through public art and storytelling.
Acknowledging Indigenous tribes.
Telling the story of historic crossroads (court days, route 11, etc).
Tell the story of urban renewal.
Tell the story of history of work (rail, poultry, etc).
Build a play trail.
Offer walking tours.
A collection of small bronze duck statues have been placed throughout downtown for scavenger hunt discovery and hidden artistic whimsy. “Downtown Ducklings” was completed by Explore More with grant funding from HDR in late 2023.
A temporary art installation, Doors of Inclusion, led by the Arts Council and the Arc of Harrisonburg and Rockingham brought 20 works of arts in the form of doors throughout downtown and the gateway areas in 2023.
HDR, the City of Harrisonburg, and the Arts Council of the Valley wrapped 9 traffic control boxes at downtown intersections in Sept 2024 with original art.
HDR is working with HEC and Public Works on printing and installing 90 Harrisonburg brand banners and a dozen “duck-themed” banners designed by area school children on lightpoles throughout downtown. These will be hung in Feb 2026.
The City received a Smart Growth American Community Connectors grant to work in partnership with HDR, NENA, HRHA, SVBHP to find ways to improve the Northeast Neighborhood and reconnect the community with downtown. A small area plan will guide improvements into the future.
HDR received a $59,000 DIG grant from Virginia Main Street in August 2025 to create a historical marker trail and companion digital tour. This project will be completed in September 2026 in partnership with the City of Harrisonburg, Shenandoah Valley Black Heritage Project, and local historians.
#12
Continue to animate the public realm.
Broaden Downtown’s appeal by placing an intentional focus of inclusive programming and art (eg, murals, live music, beer gardens, cultural fairs, winter markets).
Open the doors to help people understand how to activate downtown through their own ideas
HDR meets with people who come to us with ideas or looking for help and we provide as much TA as they need but we do not have a formal guide.
Integrate public art into downtown’s alleys
We worked with a local artist to create “miniatures” – whimsical little scenes that popped up around downtown, including the alley from Water Street to Court Square
Dance Party at Court Square
Instead of hosting a dance party on Court Square, HDR took inspiration from that recommendation and launched our annual summertime concert series – Levitt AMP Harrisonburg. We hosted 30 free concerts from 2023-2025 and will bring it back for another three years.
There has been an explosion of over a dozen new murals since the Plan’s acceptance by Council.
Ink Drops by Jeff Guinn and Tori Torpor at 115 W Water St – November 2023
There’s No Place Like… by Tyler Kauffman – 129 W Wolfe St – May 2021
?? Aristocat Mural by Amelia Waring at 111 N Liberty Street
You Belong designed by Jennifer Bayes, painted by community members – June 2022. It is maintained by OASIS Fine Art & Craft members.
The Blue Rider by William Snyder III at 311 S Main Street – May 2021
The Language of Love sculpture by Jeff Guinn – Sept 2021
?? Mashita Patio mural Patrick Simmons at 105 N Liberty Street – June 2022
Sage Bird Love Works by Elliot Downs at 325 N Liberty St – Aug 2022
Explore More mural by Matt Leech and Tim Skirven at 150 S Main St – May 2023 (funded by Don Albright and additional donors)
?? by Laura Thompson at 273 E Market Street – Aug 2023 (funded by ACV)
Sassy Lady by Gemma Amendola at 95 S Main St (this was funded by a crowdfunding campaign and Don Albright) – Aug 2023
?? Broad Porch Mural by Matt Leech and Tim Skirven – 2023 (funded by BPC)
Mural of a Main Playing Chess (unsure of name) by Nils Westergard on Urban Exchange – April 2024 (funded by Matchbox)
Space Horse Mural on Billy Jacks by Tyler Kauffman summer 2024?
?? Mural on Magnolia’s Taco summer 2024 (funded by the spouse of the person who was the inspiration for this mural)
Riner Apartments on Liberty Street mural by Tyler Kauffman
Library mural
Mural on Taj of India
#13
Diversify Downtown’s business ecosystem.
Continue to support the focus on local business.
Develop programs to increase participation by underserved entrepreneurs/continue to promote B Cubed.
HDR was a co-founder of the City of Harrisonburg’s B-Cubed program that brings training, networking, and small grants to entrepreneurs of color. HDR secured a $50,000 Truist Foundation grant in 2023.
Create a tenant improvement program for move-in ready entrepreneurs
We offered $10,000 start up grants to new businesses looking to move into downtown in 2023-2024.
Expand pop up and shared space strategies.
Liberty Street Mercantile opened since the 2040 plan was released and breweries, Agora, and Mercantile frequently host popups.
#14
Don’t require retail everywhere.
We encourage creative mixed business uses downtown.
#15
Build the market by attracting more residents and more visitors. Increase marketing capacity.
HDR has been increasing our annual marketing budget each year and will continue to do so as much as possible
HDR launched our annual Downtown Dining Guide to kick off Taste of Downtown restaurant month and bring more attention to our culinary district. This full color guide goes to over 12,000 homes through the Daily New Record and has a companion digital version with a paid social media campaign.
We grew our community-driven content by asking community members to submit stories. This popular campaign began in 2021 to tell downtown love stories around Valentine’s Day – “The Love that Downtown Built.”
We have been doing weekly features on social media that highlight weekday events, weekend round ups, and we just started a ticketed event round up to promote advance sales. On the radio, we have been doing Friday standing interviews with WSVA to talk about what is coming up for the weekend.
HDR interns have been doing fantastic reels since 2022. 2024’s series includes Hidden Harrisonburg and Hands of Harrisonburg.
In 2025, we launched Meet Ups – casual gatherings where strangers become friends in a different downtown business. We have a schedule of hosting 2 each month at different times and places. We now have volunteers who are helping us convene people. We also host meet ups during our festivals and concerts so people can feel comfortable attending.
Coordinate with local universities.
Thanks to a partnership with JMU’s Professional and Continuing Education, HDR worked with a President’s Fellow on researching and creating a new Downtown Accessibility Initiative and has worked with marketing classes on projects.
A partnership with the JMU School of Hospitality led to a class developing programming for activating a specific area of downtown during SkeletonFest. They planned and operated it during the event. We have worked with marketing classes as a client for student work each year as well. Additional connections with other JMU student clubs and organizations has led to growing our volunteer base for our events.
Another exciting partnership is the one with HDR, the city’s Urban Wood program, and JMU’s Aramark hospitality team. During our annual restaurant month, we hold a ticketed event where chefs teach a charcuterie workshop while the Urban Wood experts lead a charcuterie board project. It sells out every year.
Our Director of Marketing has started attending the JMU Digital Marketing Career and Internship Fair.
The new JMU class president met with HDR and said that one of her goals is to help get more students off campus and into downtown before they graduate. In 2024, she worked with our intern to create a map with a scavenger hunt/tour of downtown for students.
We have worked with two JMU architecture studio classes to take HDR on as a client to design two different park projects and to complete a temporary design-build project downtown.
#15
#16
Grow Downtown as a neighborhood.
Encourage mixed use and residential development in key clusters.
Developers have been submitting proposals for redevelopment projects throughout downtown
#17
In the long-term, seek opportunities to add density and improve the urban design at key downtown sites.
Improve and activate north side (new landscaping, stormwater improvements, public art to recognize history of north side and urban renewal, small scale commercial on parking lots, new development should be pedestrian oriented and not car centric, redevelop Roses).
HDR and city staff use the recommendations and values put forth in the downtown master plan in meetings with prospective developers on future projects.
The Liberty Street Mercantile opened in a formerly vacant warehouse on the north end in November of 2023.
City and HDR are working with local partners to bring awareness to the area of downtown that was forever changed by Urban Renewal. The city led a public-private effort to secure a Community Connectors Grant in 2023 that will bring technical assistance and a facilitator to lead community dialogues and a path forward for planning improvements that would aim to address and recognize the harms of urban renewal and reconnect the Northeast Neighborhood with downtown. The Northeast Neighborhood Association, the Shenandoah Valley Black Heritage Project, are partners.
#18
Integrate district infrastructure.
Integrate stormwater management into surface parking lots to improve water quality.
#19
In the long-term, seek opportunities to add density and improve the urban design at key downtown sites.
Build new parking resources to free up key site for redevelopment.
Build a new deck behind public safety building.
Pursue PPP to catalyze the creation of additional parking garages.
Encourage shared parking of private lots when not in use.
Incorporate EV parking into downtown.
Seek opportunities to integrate renewable energy technologies in new parking infrastructure.
#20
Explore shared sanitation solutions like Roanoke’s centrally located trash compactors.
Public Works looked into this idea and it is not feasible at this time.
Go back to see the full 2040 Vision.
Our Mission
Our mission to support and enhance the downtown hasn’t changed. What’s evolving is our approach—becoming more strategic, more inclusive, and more focused on economic development, while fostering community connections and creating an authentic downtown that resonates with residents and attracts visitors. We have many new opportunities ahead, and we’re going to figure out what’s next together.