~ PVN staff report
LURAY — During its upcoming June 12 meeting, the Luray Council will hold two public hearings related to housing permits within town limits. One permit would allow the installation of a manufactured home on Frye Lane, while the other would allow a lodging house on Allison Drive.
Council members discussed the permit applications during a May 23 work session and continued an ongoing conversation about the increased number of requests regarding short-term rentals. The rise in the short-term rental market has meant the improvement of dozens of properties in recent years to serve a seemingly growing tourist market. However, the transition occurring in local real estate also means fewer long-term rental options for local families.
“It’s happening so fast right now…I’m trying to get my head around it,” Councilman Ron Vickers said during the May 23 discussion.
Mayor Jerry Dofflemyer noted that the Town used to receive six to 12 housing permit requests a year, while the council has already approved more than that in the first few months of the year. With new units becoming available almost monthly at Luray Landing, the quick sprint to full capacity at the Luray Meadows apartment complex, new single-family homes selling fast at Fairview Estates, and other new construction and major renovations around Town…Luray is experiencing as close to a housing boon as it has seen since the build-up of the “boonfield” adjacent to East Luray Shopping Center.
Some council members estimated that the Town’s housing options have increased as much as 15 percent in just the past year, with much of that coming from the Luray Landing and Luray Meadows projects.
Currently, the Town’s population of roughly 4,800 residents represents a slight decline over the last decade, according to the 2020 Census. Page County showed the same trend, actually decreasing slightly from 2010 to 2020, to just under 24,000. Current housing trends since the COVID-19 pandemic would indicate that Luray will not be reporting a drop in population in the next census count. The Town of Luray currently serves about 2,200 utility accounts.
Below are further details about the two special use permit applications subject to a public hearing at 7 p.m. on Monday, June 12 at Town Hall:
• Rexford Eugene Frye has submitted an application for a special use permit to install a manufactured home at 8 Frye Lane to replace a modular home that was destroyed by fire a few years ago. The area is zoned high-density residential (R-3). A half-dozen requirements have been attached to the permit, if approved, including standards for roofing, underpinning, siding, landings, utilities and other features. The Luray Planning Commission unanimously recommended approval following a public hearing on May 10.
• Wanakhavi Wakhisi has submitted an application for a special use permit to operate a lodging house at 178 Allison Drive in a Planned Neighborhood Development (PND) zoning district at Luray Landing. Applicant must comply with the Town’s new Lodging House Regulations (Town Code Section 519), guest stays are limited to 14 days, and the permit shall not transfer upon sale of the property. The Luray Planning Commission unanimously recommended approval following a public hearing on May 10.
For more information about happenings around Luray,
visit their website at https://www.townofluray.com/
or visit their Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/townofluray
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