The City of Staunton and Rockingham County have been awarded a total of $13.5 million in Virginia Business Ready Sites Program (VBRSP) development grants. The grants will be used for the Staunton Crossing and Innovation Village at Rockingham projects.

The Staunton Crossing development is a publicly owned 275-acre site located in the I-81 corridor providing opportunities for businesses in light manufacturing, medical, food processing, office operations, data centers, and logistics.

Innovation Village at Rockingham is a mixed-use development situated on 354 acres offering retail, office, medical, commercial and residential components.

VBRSP grants are administered by the Virginia Economic Development Partnership (VEDP) in partnership with localities, utilities, and state agencies. The fund facilitates infrastructure improvements and assists in the smooth assembly of permits and approvals required for employers and manufacturers to smoothly expand in the Commonwealth.

Read the full press release HERE.

Rockingham County has recently adopted its updated Comprehensive Plan, which seeks to be a forward-looking document that will guide the County’s development over the next 20 years. Approved unanimously by the Board of Supervisors on July 10, 2024, the plan addresses key areas such as land use, housing, transportation, and the protection of rural and agricultural lands through 2045. The plan has also integrated public feedback, including calls for greater emphasis on sustainable strategies, to align with community’s priorities and concerns. The Comprehensive Plan’s adoption followed extensive collaboration among county officials, residents, and other stakeholders, ensuring that the plan is both comprehensive and representative of the community’s vision. The CSPDC developed the Transportation Chapter of the plan.

A significant component of the update is the inclusion of the Stone Spring Urban Development Area (UDA), which focuses on a strategically located corridor south of Route 33, stretching between Cross Keys Road and the Harrisonburg city limits. This UDA is intended to manage anticipated growth, ensuring that the County’s infrastructure and services can meet the evolving needs of its residents. By designating the Stone Spring UDA as a priority for urban development, the County aims to align this area with its broader objectives of sustainable and balanced growth. As part of this process, multiple iterations of conceptual land use maps were developed, with final proposals providing a clear framework for future development within the UDA and across the County. In approving the plan, the Board also acknowledges the importance of adaptability in a changing County, envisioning future amendments as conditions and priorities change over time.

With this updated Comprehensive Plan, Rockingham County believes it is poised to maintain thoughtful growth, balancing development pressures with the need to preserve its rural character and agricultural heritage.

To learn more, visit www.rockinghamcountyva.gov/404/Comprehensive-Plan and www.rockinghamcountyva.gov/803/Stone-Spring-UDA-Plan.

In the CSPDC January 2024 newsletter, we reported that Rockbridge County submitted three grant applications in December 2023 for the 2024 Virginia Telecommunication Initiative (VATI) program. During this latest VATI application cycle, the Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) received 25 submissions seeking over $170M in funding. We are pleased to share that on July 24, Governor Glenn Youngkin announced that Rockbridge County received two awards totaling $2,173,185. The two projects include collaborative efforts involving BARC Connects and Brightspeed. The CSPDC will provide grant administrative services for each project.

The Rockbridge County and BARC Connects award consists of three projects providing high-speed internet to 404 premises located in remote areas with difficult topography in central and western portions of the county. The total estimated project budget is $2,988,568. The award totals $1,197,320 (40%) in VATI funding with BARC and Rockbridge County providing $1,791,248 (60%)in matching funds.

The Rockbridge County and Brightspeed award involves one project providing high-speed internet to 1,734 premises located in isolated stretches with challenging geography in central, northwestern, and southeastern areas of the county. The anticipated project cost is $5,914,332. The VATI award is $975,865 (17%). Brightspeed and Rockbridge County plan to provide a combined $4,938,467 (83%) in matching funds.

In the Governor’s Office press release, Governor Youngkin stated, “Virginia continues to be a national leader for closing the digital divide, and today’s announcement brings us one step closer to becoming the first state in the nation to reach statewide universal broadband coverage. In our increasingly digital world, having access to high-speed broadband isn’t a luxury, it’s a prerequisite to participate in daily life.”

A third submission involving Rockbridge County and Verizon was not selected for funding. The proposed project included plans to provide broadband to 85 locations/101 premises in a rural area of northeastern Rockbridge County with particularly difficult topography. The total estimated budget is $2,429,768. In the Rockbridge County press release, County Administrator Spencer Suter stated, “We are already in discussion with Verizon, which serves the Vesuvius area, to support applications for funding available under the Broadband Equity Access and Deployment (BEAD) Program, which represents the next major funding source for broadband deployment.”

In July 2024, the CSPDC secured its second allocation of funding from Virginia Housing’s Sponsoring Partnerships & Revitalizing Communities (SPARC) Program. With over $3 million in SPARC funds now available for eligible first-time homebuyers, the CSPDC can help more individuals achieve homeownership in the Central Shenandoah region.

Through SPARC, Virginia Housing’s approved lenders can offer a 1% mortgage interest rate reduction to eligible first-time homebuyers, enhancing their purchasing power and potentially saving them thousands over the life of the loan. These funds will complement the CSPDC’s existing First-Time Homebuyer Program, which provides down payment and closing cost assistance to income-qualified buyers at 80% AMI or below.

Additionally, the City of Harrisonburg received an allocation of SPARC funds, making it the first locality in the Central Shenandoah to offer interest rate reductions to future eligible homebuyers.

For more information about the CSPDC’s First-Time Homebuyer Programs, please contact: Philippe Bone, philippe@cspdc.org.

How do you want to get around the Staunton-Augusta-Waynesboro region in 2050? The Staunton Augusta Waynesboro Metropolitan Planning Organization (SAWMPO) wants to hear from residents about their community priorities to help shape the future of the region’s transportation network.

The SAWMPO, which is staffed by CSPDC, is providing several ways for residents to get involved and provide input that will guide the development of the region’s 2050 Long Range Transportation Plan (LRTP).

The LRTP will cover all modes of transportation within the cities of Staunton and Waynesboro and the urbanized portion of Augusta County. Phase One of the 2050 LRTP process is focused on the community vision for the future of transportation in the SAWMPO region. Residents are invited to:

• Fill out the online Visioning Survey between August 12 and September 30, 2024 in English or in Español.
• Register to participate in the webinar on August 28 at 12 p.m. or watch the recording on-demand.

The community priorities identified in the survey will be one element used to determine which transportation projects are considered, and to develop the evaluation criteria for the projects before they can be included in the 2050 LRTP.

Visit sawmpo.org/long-range-planning for more information and to sign up to receive email updates on the LRTP.

The Town of Goshen celebrated the grand opening of its new Town Hall on July 9. The newly renovated structure was the Town’s first school building constructed in 1870, but it later functioned as a private residence until the Town acquired it in 2022. The acquisition and renovation of the new Town Hall was funded through a $255,000 Congressionally Directed Spending allocation through Senator Warner and Senator Kaine’s Office, as well as local donations.

The Town Hall will also provide a permanent space for a food pantry operated by the Rockbridge Area Relief Association and local volunteers. The food pantry has previously operated in Goshen on a mobile basis. If funded, the Town will use a CDBG Community Improvement Grant to construct a Community Service Facility as an addition to the Town Hall starting next year.