Category Archives: News

Bath County Hires New County Administrator

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Following a nationwide search, Bath County’s Board of Supervisors has named Michael Bender as the County Administrator. A native of Chesterfield, Virginia, Mr. Bender has over 28 years of experience in public service. He most recently served as a Division Commander for the Richmond, Virginia Police Department.

As the County Administrator, Mr. Bender will manage and coordinate the overall day-to-day operations and activities of the County government. He will relieve Janet Bryan who has diligently served as the Interim County Administrator since the departure of Ashton Harrison earlier this year. Ms. Bryan will return to her role as the Executive Assistant/Deputy Clerk to the Board.

Mr. Bender holds a Master of Public Administration from Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, and a Bachelor of Science in Administration of Justice from Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond.

Update on PDC Housing Development Grant

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The PDC Housing Development Grant, which provides gap funds to affordable housing developers in our region, is well underway with seven partners across the region working toward the development of 60 new housing units.

Several projects, including Valley Supportive Housing’s Pump Street Apartments, Friendly City Development, LLC’s Suter Street Neighborhood Development, and Foley 11 LLC’s Foley Road Efficiencies Project, are in the process of completing engineering & design work and are awaiting permitting before breaking ground.

The Fairfax Hall Rehabilitation Project in Waynesboro received a Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) award in early Fall which will finance a significant portion of the project, and is completing final project financing, planning, and design specifications. They plan to begin work in 2023.

Our Community Place’s Block House Apartments project has begun initial demolition and building rehabilitation work, and initial interior construction activities are underway.

Rockbridge Habitat for Humanity’s Greenhouse Village Project has completed water and sewer connections and has begun initial site work on two of the eight home sites. On October 4th, CSPDC staff made a site visit to check out the future home sites for the final phase of the Greenhouse Village project, and had a chance to walk through a recently completed Habitat home.

All projects are expected to be completed by June 30, 2024.

IRF Grant Applications Due on Nov. 4

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Applications are now being accepted for the FY2023 Industrial Revitalization Fund (IRF) Planning Grant, which is available to help bolster early-stage projects, enabling feasibility studies and other planning-related activities for potential IRF applicants in Spring 2023.

Applications must be received no later than 11:59 PM on November 04, 2022. Please review the FY2023 IRF Planning Grant Guidelines and the How-to-Apply webinar recording for additional details before submitting an application. If you have any questions, please email realestate@dhcd.virginia.gov

Region 8 Council Welcomes New Executive Director

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At its October meeting, the GO Virginia Region 8 Council will welcome its new Executive Director, Deborah Flippo of MDM Flippo Consulting, LLC. Ms. Flippo brings 31 years of marketing and business experience to the position, working regularly with local, regional, and state economic development organizations. She has served on the Virginia Economic Development Partnership Board of Directors; the Virginia Economic Developers Association, serving as President in 2016; two regional economic development organization’s Boards; and the Shenandoah Valley Partnership’s Lead Generation Committee. In her role as Executive Director, Ms. Flippo will help the Region 8 Council lead and fund successful projects that contribute to the economic growth of the region.

Celebrations Ensue for the Maury River’s Scenic River Designation

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Rockbridge Outdoors along with Rockbridge County, The City of Lexington, and The City of Buena Vista will commemorate the Maury River’s designation as a Virginia Scenic River this October. The local jurisdictions are throwing a community ceremony and reception at Jordan’s Point Park on October 16th at 2:00 pm. In early April, legislation passed to designate the remaining portion of the Maury River as a Virginia Scenic River. Now the entirety of the Maury, which flows through Rockbridge, Lexington, Buena Vista, and Glasgow, is part of the statewide program. Virginia’s Scenic Rivers Program intends to help protect rivers that possess outstanding scenic, recreational, and natural characteristics. To be awarded this designation, the local governing body asks DCR to conduct an eligibility study and then requests their state legislator to sponsor a bill.

Bath-Highland Network Authority Public Meeting

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The Bath-Highland Network Authority will hold a meeting on October 17, 2022, at 1:00 p.m., at the Bolar Ruritan Club, 38 Bolar Ln Monterey, VA 24465. For more information about the meeting, please contact Ms. Hunter Moore at 540-885-5174, ext. 118 or hunter@cspdc.org.

CSPDC Releases RFP for Lewis Street Hub Project (Staunton)

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Work to renovate the Lewis Street Transit Hub located at 240 N. Lewis Street in Downtown Staunton is moving forward. The CSPDC received a 5339 Bus and Bus Facilities Grant from the Federal Transit Administration to rehabilitate the lot that is used for BRITE Transit, and City of Staunton free parking. Currently, BRITE Transit buses and trolleys hub at the lot throughout the day, providing a central boarding and transfer location for public transit riders. The City of Staunton also utilizes parking spaces in the lot for free city parking. This federal grant funding will allow the CSPDC to improve lot conditions, create a designated bus boarding area, and improve the overall experience of those using the lot for transit and parking needs.

A Request for Proposals is being issued to solicit qualifications from firms for Architectural and Engineering Design services. The RFP and necessary documents were published to this page on September 19, 2022 and are available below. Any addenda to the RFP will be posted here if/when necessary. Proposals should be submitted through DemandStar. Instructions are included in Attachment E. The deadline to submit proposals is 5:00 pm (EST) on October 21, 2022.

Click the links below to download the RFP Document:

RFP Cover Sheet and Certificates
RFP Document
Attachment A – GSA Form SF330
Attachment B – KH Memo
Attachment C – FSA Provisions
Attachment D – Virginia Procurement Clauses
Attachment E – DemandStar Instructions

Addendum #1 – Questions and Answers, Recording of Pre-Proposal Conference  (posted 10.07.22)

Addendum #2 – Clarification to Addendum Regarding SF330 Form Instructions (posted 10.11.22)

CSPDC Staff to Attend Fall Conferences

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Rural Planning Caucus Conference
The Rural Planning Caucus of Virginia (RPC) is an organization focusing on the specific planning needs of small towns and rural areas across the Commonwealth.
The annual RPC Conference provides a forum for professionals to gather and share planning information affecting rural areas, and the 2022 RPC Conference will be held on October 19 – 21 at Mountain Lake Lodge in Pembroke, Virginia.
The conference agenda includes sessions on planning for modular homes, broadband mapping, agritourism, and casino land use impacts.

Learn More

Virginia Governor’s Transportation Conference

CSPDC staff will be attending the 2022 Virginia Governor’s Transportation Conference at the Virginia Beach Convention Center from October 26 – 28, 2022. The conference attracts hundreds of industry and transportation leaders to come together to network, exchange ideas, and discuss key transportation issues.

Learn More

Virginia Governor’s Housing Conference

CSPDC staff will attend the Virginia Governor’s Housing Conference this year, which will be held November 16th through the 18th in Arlington. The 3-day conference invites public, private, and non-profit housing partners across the state to discuss important housing issues affecting all Virginians.
The conference will cover topics such as housing policy, development, innovation, and equity. The keynote speaker is Dr. Elliot Eisenberg, who will speak to the connections between housing and economic development.

Shenandoah Rail Trail Update

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While communities along the Shenandoah Rail Trail, a proposed 48.5-mile recreational trail between Broadway and Front Royal, await news on acquisition of the property from Norfolk Southern with funding in the Commonwealth’s FY 2023 budget, they continue to plan for the economic boost the trail will bring their way. The Harrisonburg Daily News Record reported on September 9th that business owners at the Trail’s southern terminus in Broadway are preparing to host visitors with new AirBnBs, restaurants, and expanded parking in Heritage Park. Additional visitor spending once the trail is complete is estimated at $32.3 million per year throughout the region, according to an economic impact analysis prepared for the Shenandoah Rail Trail Exploratory Partnership, an unincorporated coalition of public, private and non-profit organizations championing the project.
CSPDC is a member of the Shenandoah Rail Trail Partnership, and in 2021 assisted the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation with a feasibility study that evaluated the condition of the corridor, refined projected economic impacts of the trail, and developed cost estimates to construct and maintain the trail. For more information on the Trail, and to sign up for updates, visit https://shenandoahalliance.org/project/shenandoah-rail-trail-partnership/ .

September is Discover Transit Month & Afton Express Marks 1-Year Anniversary

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During September, the CSPDC and BRITE Transit are partnering with the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation to celebrate Discover Transit Month. September also marks the 1-year anniversary of the launch of the Afton Express. Throughout the month we will be highlighting local transit options and highlighting the success of Afton Express.

The Afton Express began operations on September 1, 2021, and in the last 365 days passengers took 8,174 trips between the Staunton, Augusta, and Waynesboro region and Charlottesville and Albemarle County. The service continues to grow each month, with recent monthly averages of 46 passenger trips per day.

We will be hosting events throughout the month to celebrate transit and thank our riders with pop-ups at Afton Express and BRITE Transit stops (September 15, 21, 22), fare free days (September 1 and 21), and a live radio broadcast from the Waynesboro Park and Ride Lot bus stop (September 29).

Both BRITE and Afton Express, along with others, provide necessary and valued transit services to our riders in the Central Shenandoah Planning District. Explore all the possibilities offered by transit agencies in our community at transitva.org! You can also celebrate Discover Transit Month by taking the Try Transit pledge, which will enter you in a sweepstakes for a chance to win tickets for the Amtrak Northeast Regional train or Virginia Breeze Bus Lines.

Celebrate with us on social media! Follow BRITE Transit, Afton Express, and the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation on social media to stay up to date, and learn more about transportation connecting the Commonwealth at drpt.virginia.gov.

BRITE Transit | Facebook

Afton Express | Facebook

DRPT | Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter