I first heard about Collicello North years ago. In many ways, I’ve been connected to this little corner of Harrisonburg my whole life.
I lived on Collicello Street for a season. I’ve spent most of my life just a few blocks away. And for years, I watched a vision for this neighborhood sit on paper while the city kept growing around it. Every time I drove past, I’d think about what it could be… and wonder if it ever would be.
This spring, it took a major step forward.
After more than a decade, Harrisonburg City Council unanimously approved updates to the plan that finally clear the way for Collicello North to move toward construction. The original master plan dates back to 2013… this is a thirteen-year-old dream… and much of the groundwork is literally already in the ground: streets, water, and sewer are roughly 90% complete. After all this time, the neighborhood is finally becoming real.
The lay of the land… gold lots are the platted single-family homesites, and the outlined area holds the townhomes and future phases from the master plan.
Who Was Dean Weaver?
One of the things that makes this project meaningful to me is the people behind it.
A lot of folks in Harrisonburg knew Dean Weaver, the original developer and the visionary behind Collicello North. An EMU graduate, Dean didn’t set out to build just another subdivision. He wanted to recreate the feel of an old, traditional neighborhood… connected streets close to town, built around an affection for the place itself. He even named it for Collicello Street, the road that runs right through it.
Dean passed away during COVID. But the vision he cared so much about never disappeared.
His family is still part of our community. In fact, his widow and children became neighbors of ours… I’ve gotten to know them over the years, and Dean’s son has even helped me with projects around my own home. So when I say this project is personal, I mean it literally.
Seeing it move forward feels like more than another development. It feels like the continuation of something Dean started, and believed in, long before any of us were involved.
Why Collicello North Matters
Harrisonburg needs housing. But not just housing somewhere… housing close to the jobs, parks, restaurants, and daily life that make this city special.
That’s exactly what this site is. Collicello North sits in town, about 0.8 miles from downtown Harrisonburg and 0.9 miles from EMU, with parks, local restaurants, and major employers all nearby. Dean’s original vision leaned into that on purpose: community, connectivity, and a real neighborhood feel… smaller homes, connected streets, a mix of housing types… rather than simply maximizing lot sizes out on the edge of town.
That kind of in-town, connected neighborhood is hard to find new. It’s exactly what Harrisonburg needs more of.
Why I’m Excited
Collicello North recently changed hands, and I’m proud to have helped get it across the finish line. The Propst family… a respected local builder… has taken it on and will be developing it, and our team gets to help bring that long-held vision to life.
The next phase will focus on single-family homes, with additional housing types expected down the road. The goal is a simple one, and one I believe in: quality new homes at attainable price points, in a place where people genuinely want to live.
A feel for the single-family homes to come… conceptual rendering, to be built, similar to. Final designs and finishes will vary.
Looking Ahead
After thirteen years of planning, approvals, revisions, and patience, Collicello North is finally moving forward.
I’m excited to watch new neighbors put down roots here… and grateful to play a small part in continuing a vision that started long before we came along. Dean would have loved to see it.
Want to be among the first to hear as homes at Collicello North come to market? Visit the Collicello North page → and we’ll keep you posted… no pressure, no spam.