Category Archives: News

CSPDC Issues Notice of Award for On-Call Consultant Program

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The CSPDC began reprocuring our On-Call Consultant program in 2021 and this month notice of decision to award was issued for nine selected firms. Created in 2012, the program provides the CSPDC, our 21 jurisdictions, and 2 Metropolitan Planning Organizations quick access to competitively procured consultants. While there are many benefits to the program, the most notable are reduced operational expenses and quicker turnaround on projects. A wide variety of planning and technical services can be obtained through the program and both the CSPDC and many of our region’s jurisdictions have successfully used our On-Call program. Additionally, selected transportation engineering consultants underwent VDOT’s pre-award audit, making them eligible for state and federally funded projects. Our new bench of consultants include:

1. Kimley – Horn & Associates (KHA)
2. A. Morton Thomas and Associates (AMT)
3 Timmons Group
4. Whitman, Requardt, & Associates (WRA)
5. Vanasse, Hangen, & Brustlin (VHB)
6. Draper Aden Associates (DAA)
7. Mangum Economics
8. Colley Architects
9. Launch! Consulting

The Federal Transit Administration Awards Central Shenandoah Planning District Commission with Bus and Bus Facilities Grant

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~ Rehabilitating BRITE Transit’s transportation hub in downtown Staunton~

(STAUNTON): Last week, the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) announced its award of $915,600 in Bus and Bus Facilities Program funding to BRITE Transit, a service of the Central Shenandoah Planning District Commission (CSPDC). BRITE Transit provides bus service to seven localities in the Shenandoah region. The funding will enable the agency to rehabilitate its transit hub in Staunton, Virginia. CSPDC is providing a $45,600 local match accompanied by a $177,900 state match from the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation (DRPT).

“So many BRITE Transit riders pass through this parking lot each day. This grant enables us to create a safe, accessible, multimodal transit hub for them,” stated Bonnie Riedesel, Executive Director of the Central Shenandoah Planning District Commission. “We look forward to our continued partnership with FTA, DRPT, and the City of Staunton to create a transit asset and public space that will benefit the BRITE System for years to come.”

The FTA Bus and Facilities grant program makes federal resources available to states and their direct recipients to replace or restore buses and associated bus facilities including innovation enhancements supporting low or no emission vehicles.

“This project is a prime example of how transit agencies can partner with DRPT to develop high-quality grant applications for discretionary federal funding. By leveraging a combination of local, state, and federal funding, agencies like CSPDC are helping improve, innovate, and modernize transit in Virginia,” stated Jennifer DeBruhl, Acting Director of the Department of Rail and Public Transportation. “As Virginians return to the office, we urge them to Rediscover Your Ride by choosing public transportation.”

The CSPDC transit hub rehabilitation project will redefine the surface parking lot with dedicated space for bus parking, an ADA-accessible passenger boarding and alighting platform, add vehicular parking for “kiss and ride” transit riders, and include passenger facilities like shelters, benches, and safety lighting. The project will also add an electrical conduit for electric vehicle charging stations. The project is anticipated to be completed over the next two years.

“This is wonderful news. The upgrades to the Lewis Street Hub are definitely needed. It will make it much easier to catch the bus and make transfers,” Becky Messer, BRITE passenger and BRITE Technical Advisory Committee member.

CSPDC Hosting Regional Roundtable on Main Street Resiliency

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The CSPDC will host a regional roundtable focused on Main Street Resiliency on Thursday, April 7th at 9:00 a.m. Join the Regional Roundtable to learn pandemic recovery strategies for your downtown. Presentations by Matthew Wagner, Chief Program Officer at Main Street America, and Courtney Mailey, a Community Revitalization Specialist at Virginia Main Street, will cover current trends and best practices to support the economic recovery of local main streets. The CSPDC’s COVID-19 Economic Analysis concluded that downtown areas were most heavily impacted by the pandemic and will take longer to recover compared to the rest of the region. The analysis studied downtown areas in the following cities and towns: Staunton, Harrisonburg, Waynesboro, Buena Vista, Lexington, Bridgewater, Broadway, Monterey, and Hot Springs. Featuring research by Main Street America and Virginia Main Street, the CSPDC’s regional roundtable will provide takeaways applicable to all localities in the Central Shenandoah region.

Register Here

Nine Firms Selected for CSPDC’s On-Call Consultant Program

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The CSPDC began renewing the On-Call Consultant program in 2021, and this month, notice of decision to award was issued for nine selected firms. Created in 2012, the program provides the CSPDC, our 21 jurisdictions, and two Metropolitan Planning Organizations quick access to competitively procured consultants. While there are many benefits to the program, the most notable are reduced operational expenses and quicker turnaround on projects. A wide variety of planning and technical services can be obtained through the program, and both the CSPDC and many of our region’s jurisdictions have successfully used the On- Call program. Additionally, selected transportation engineering consultants underwent VDOT’s pre-award audit, making them eligible for state and federally funded projects. Our new bench of consultants includes:
1. Kimley – Horn & Associates (KHA)
2. A. Morton Thomas and Associates (AMT)
3 Timmons Group
4. Whitman, Requardt, & Associates (WRA)
5. Vanasse, Hangen, & Brustlin (VHB)
6. Draper Aden Associates (DAA)
7. Mangum Economics
8. Colley Architects
9. Launch! Consulting

BRITE Transit Office Space for Lease

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The BRITE Transit Facility, 51 Ivy Ridge Lane, Fishersville, currently has office space available.

  • 7,200 Square Feet
  • Offices, Conference Rooms, Lobby, and Breakrooms
  • High Speed Internet/Fiber
  • Easy Access to Interstate
  • Lots of Exterior Windows
  • Elevator and Stair Access
  • Handicap Access
  • Ample, Free Parking
  • Public Utilities

51 Ivy Ridge Lane Brochure 

Gin Chandler hired as Finance Director

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Gin Chandler was hired as the CSPDC Finance Director and began work on February 16th.  She received her Bachelor’s Degree from Mary Baldwin University in Business Administration and a Master’s Degree in Public Administration-Business and Government from Liberty University. Ms. Chandler was the Accountant Specialist for Augusta County and the previous Administrative Services Manager for the Harrisonburg Department of Parks and Recreation. She currently resides in Augusta County with her husband Clay and their two furry family members, Remy and Cooper. Clay and Gin share four children – Todd, Jacklyn, Emily and Kieland. In her free time, Gin enjoys gardening, reading, and watching movies.

Smart Scale Round 5 Pre-Application Open through April 1

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Area governments and organizations are planning to submit at least a dozen transportation projects in the CSPDC region for VDOT’s Smart Scale Round 5 transportation grant funding program.

Localities, Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs) including the Harrisonburg-Rockingham (HRMPO) and Staunton-Augusta-Waynesboro (SAWMPO), BRITE, and the CSPDC can each submit a maximum of four applications for the program, which is available every two years.

The region has been successful in receiving Smart Scale funding through the previous four rounds. In Smart Scale Round 4, the State funded 17 of the 22 submitted projects totaling over $60 million in the region. The CSPDC and two MPOs submitted nine of the funded projects.

Submitted projects are evaluated by a benefit score based on safety, congestion mitigation, accessibility, land-use, economic development and environmental quality criteria, and also estimated cost.

The pre-application period opened on March 1 and closes on April 1 at 5:00 p.m. Final applications are due August 1. Funded projects are included in the state’s Six-Year Improvement Program.

CERT Program Scheduled for Spring

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Discover Your Inner Hero! Take the FREE Spring Community Emergency Response Team training. You’ll learn to be more resilient & ready to help others when emergencies occur. Become part of this nationwide movement to make our communities safer before, during, and after a disaster event.
This training is being offered by the Cities of Staunton and Waynesboro, and Augusta County, in partnership with the Central Shenandoah Planning District Commission (CSPDC) and is open to anyone who either lives or works in Staunton, Waynesboro, or Augusta County. The course is FREE but you must register to attend.
TO REGISTER CONTACT: Rebecca Joyce S-A-W CERT Coordinator
Phone: 540-885-5174 ext.112 E-mail: rebecca@cspdc.org

Mount Crawford Begins Working on Comprehensive Plan

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The CSPDC is assisting the Town of Mount Crawford with writing the Town’s first approved Comprehensive Plan. The Town Manager, Libby Clark, and members of the Town’s Planning Commission are guiding the 12-month process.

The Plan will analyze existing conditions, identify Town needs, and outline a set of goals and objectives to inform local decision-making on issues ranging from economic development, housing, transportation, and land use.

Mount Crawford is the second smallest incorporated locality (with the Town of Monterey being the smallest) in the CSPDC region, with an estimated 439 residents according to 2020 Census. Development of the Plan is timely since the Town recently annexed 11 acres of land east of Town last year, and the Town’s population growth is projected to increase faster than historic growth trends over the next five years.

CSPDC Awards $1.66 Million in Affordable Housing Grants through PDC Housing Development Program, Supports 60 New Units of Affordable Housing Across the Region

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The Central Shenandoah Planning District Commission has announced $1.66 million in award offers to provide gap funding to affordable housing developers across the region. These grant funds were made possible through Virginia Housing’s PDC Housing Development Program, a pilot program that supports regional affordable housing initiatives. The funds will assist in the construction of 60 new units of affordable housing in the region, including 35 units for homeownership and 25 for rental. Gap funding was offered to 7 applicants representing 4 localities; Harrisonburg, Staunton, Waynesboro, and Rockbridge County. All units supported by the PDC Housing Development Program are expected to be move-in ready by July 1, 2024.

The CSPDC selected the following projects to receive funding:

Applicant Location Project Award Units
Ridgeville, LLC Harrisonburg Foley Road Efficiencies $350,000 11
Central Valley Habitat for Humanity and PDY, LLC Harrisonburg Suter Street Neighborhood Project $325,000 21
Our Community Place Harrisonburg Block House Apartments $118,106 2
Valley Supportive Housing Staunton Pump Street Apartments $325,000 6
Staunton-Augusta-Waynesboro Habitat for Humanity Staunton A Street Neighborhood Project $125,000 10
Rockbridge Habitat for Humanity Rockbridge County Greenhouse Village Neighborhood Project $270,000 8
South River Development Corporation Waynesboro Fairfax Hall Renovation Project $150,000 2
TOTAL $1,663,106 60

The selected projects will support a variety of income levels ranging from 0-80% of the region’s median income. Among the selected projects are two permanent supportive housing projects that will support those experiencing chronic homelessness and other vulnerable populations. Says Sam Nickels of our Community Place in Harrisonburg, “these monies will cover half the cost for Our Community Place to build two efficiency apartments for the most vulnerable and low-income homeless persons in our region. The funds are part of a program to provide permanent supportive housing that includes case management to help people stay housed and not return to homelessness. Our Community Place is so appreciative to the Central Shenandoah Planning District Commission for this affordable housing grant.”

The program will also provide financial support to all three of the region’s Habitat for Humanity organizations. Lynne Johnson, Executive Director of Rockbridge Habitat for Humanity, says that the grant funds will allow the organization to get families into their homes sooner. “With this funding award, our construction crew can get back on track with our building timeline, which COVID derailed by precipitating volunteer shortages and building material scarcity. Cost increases of materials have also affected the affordability of the houses we build. With this grant, Habitat’s family partners will be able to occupy their homes sooner and the mortgages will remain affordable, and we can continue our vital mission to build homes, community, and hope.”

“The CSPDC is grateful to our partners at Virginia Housing for offering the opportunity to expand affordable housing options in our region,” says Frank Friedman, CSPDC Commission Chair. “We look forward to seeing the results of these grants in supporting our local and regional affordable housing providers as they advance these impactful, timely, and life changing projects.”

For more information regarding the PDC Housing Development Program and other housing-related initiatives at the CSPDC, visit our Housing landing page: https://www.cspdc.org/programs-services/housing/.

 

 About the CSPDC

 Created in 1969, the CSPDC represents and serves the local governments of Augusta, Bath, Highland Rockbridge and Rockingham counties, and the cities of Buena Vista, Harrisonburg, Lexington, Staunton and Waynesboro as well as the 11 towns within the Central Shenandoah region. The CSPDC works with its member jurisdictions, communities and agencies to provide high-quality planning, technical assistance, and facilitation of services that address local, regional and state needs in an innovative, timely and cooperative manner. Covering everything from land use planning, transportation, water and waste-water utilities, natural resource management, affordable housing, economic and community development, disaster mitigation and preparedness, agritourism to human services, the CSPDC is an invaluable asset and resource to the region.