Harrisonburg is grappling with a challenge familiar to many Main Street districts: how to accommodate growth and density, while protecting the historic character that defines downtown. As an Advancing Virginia Main Street (AVMS) community, Harrisonburg Downtown Renaissance (HDR) recently leveraged Virginia Main Street (VMS) design services to proactively address this tension through board education and hands-on learning.
Paige Pollard, Principal-In-Charge and Senior Architectural Historian for Commonwealth Preservation Group (CPG), the VMS consultant architect firm, was invited to HDR’s fall board retreat to help the group establish a shared understanding of design (one of the four points of the Main Street Approach), historic preservation best practices, and a Main Street organization’s role as stewards of both growth and preservation. Paige’s presentation focused on the need for the community to develop and agree upon a preservation philosophy through community listening conversations and input sessions. As explained, a preservation philosophy will help position design as a strategy that supports economic vitality, reinforces downtown identity, and creates predictability for developers.
The session also explored various design tools a municipality can utilize to protect character, reduce demolition pressure, and guide infill. These tools range from non-regulatory pattern books to regulatory design guidelines, and examples were provided for board members to look through. Paige emphasized reframing these types of tools from regulations to documenting the community’s vision. Rather than chasing a single architectural style, Paige stressed the importance of compatibility. By highlighting recurring patterns — such as vertical rhythm, façade articulation, materials, and ground-floor transparency — that define the district, design tools can provide clarity for both communities and developers.
“Design guidelines aren’t about stopping growth—they’re about helping everyone understand what good development looks like, so change happens with intention rather than by accident.” Paige Pollard, CPG Principal-In-Charge and Senior Architectural Historian
This foundational conversation helped align leadership around HDR’s long-term commitment to preservation, while acknowledging the realities of a fast-growing downtown.
To complement the retreat discussion, Susan Lancaster, Virginia Main Street Design Manager at CPG, led a follow-up architectural walking tour through Harrisonburg’s downtown. The interactive session allowed the HDR board and staff, along with City of Harrisonburg staff, to see their downtown from a fresh perspective. Participants experienced first-hand how scale, massing, materials, pedestrian orientation, etc., shape the downtown experience, and Susan reinforced the concept that guidelines can help maintain a balance between heritage and progress (from Paige’s earlier presentation).
Good design starts with understanding—and Harrisonburg is putting that principle into practice. HDR looks forward to crafting its preservation philosophy and ultimately developing a design tool for the district.
Photo credit: Blaire Buergler
Virginia Main Street 