The CSPDC has scheduled an annual stakeholder meeting to facilitate conversations and garner feedback regarding the Department of Conservation and Recreation’s (DCR) Virginia Outdoors Plan (VOP). The meeting will be held on Tuesday, October 12 at 2:00 p.m. These annual meetings are held across Virginia’s 21 planning districts to collect input on regional outdoor recreation and land conservation projects from local planners and government employees, outdoor recreation professionals and land managers, citizens, advocates, and nonprofit leaders. Input collected will be used in the 2023 Virginia Outdoors Plan to develop projects for future outdoor recreation implementation.

Applications for the 2022 Virginia Telecommunication Initiative (VATI) are due September 14, 2021. In August, Governor Northam allocated a historic $700 million of American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding toward broadband infrastructure for unserved areas in Virginia. This funding will be distributed through the VATI program and the Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) and will accelerate the Governor’s 10-year goal for achieving universal broadband access from 2028 to 2024. CSPDC staff will be assisting several localities this summer with their VATI applications and are excited for this opportunity to bring high speed internet to our rural communities.

In August, the Shenandoah Valley Partnership (SVP) contracted with Draper Aden and Associates to perform the Shenandoah Valley Site Enhancement project that is expected to be complete in the first quarter of 2022. The project is funded through GO Virginia and will include Phase I environmental reviews, wetlands surveys, geotechnical subsurface evaluation, and characterization of each site for the Virginia Business Ready Sites Tier program. The six proposed sites located in GO Virginia Region 8, have been identified as having the greatest return on investment made possible by both public and private sector investments and commitments to the market. Project partners included the counties of Augusta, Frederick, Rockingham, and Warren. The CSPDC will be providing grant administration services for the duration of the project.

The Afton Express, a commuter bus service connecting Staunton, Fishersville, Waynesboro, Charlottesville, and Fifth Street Station in Albemarle County began operating on September 1. Three buses, outfitted with Wi-Fi, comfortable seating, and bike racks, operate four morning and four afternoon service routes, five days a week. All rides are free during the month of September. Standard fares, beginning October 1, will be $3 one way, with 10 ride farecards available for purchase for $25. Local funding for the Afton Express is provided by the cities of Staunton, Waynesboro and Charlottesville, the counties of Augusta and Albemarle, and the University of Virginia.

A ribbon cutting to launch the service and recognize project partners was held on August 16 at the BRITE Transit Facility in Fishersville. Over 50 local government representatives, stakeholders, Commissioners, and partners were in attendance. To stay up-to-date on this exciting new service, “like” and “follow” the Afton Express on Facebook and Twitter.

On August 12, the U.S. Census released its first round of data collected during the 2020 Census. This rollout includes data on population growth, race, and the Hispanic population.

The population in the CSPDC region has grown by 6% over the past decade, from 286,781 in 2010 to 304,056 in 2020. This is slower than the 7.9% growth rate in the state. However, growth in the Harrisonburg-Rockingham area exceeded the statewide growth rate, growing 8.3% since 2010.

In regards to race and ethnicity, white residents in our region slightly declined from 90.8% to 88.3%, while the percentage of residents among all other races has increased. The City of Harrisonburg is the region’s most racially diverse locality, with a population distribution of 10.3% Black residents, 5.5% Asian residents, and 18.2% of residents that identify as “Other race.” In contrast, Highland County is the region’s most racially homogenous locality, with 98.7% of the population being white. The 2020 Census revealed that 67.8% of Virginia residents identify as white, down from 71% in 2010.

Both the CSPDC region and the state of Virginia have seen a large increase in Hispanic population over the past ten years. The Hispanic population in Virginia grew 44%, from 631,825 to 908,749, while the CSPDC region saw a larger, increase of 64%. Harrisonburg has the largest concentration of Hispanic residents in the region at 23.2% of the city’s population, followed by Waynesboro with 8.8%. Highland County and Bath County have the lowest share of Hispanic residents, at 1.6% and 1.7% of the counties’ populations.

The CSPDC will continue to monitor the Weldon Cooper Data Center for future Census 2020 data rollouts. Anticipated data includes information on age, sex, and household characteristics.

In July, the Town of Goshen was awarded a Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) from the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) to determine the feasibility of converting a vacant school building into a mixed-use community center. If brought to fruition, the community center would provide a variety of services including a health center, food bank distribution, senior services, health classes, Wi-Fi access, and additional community meeting and outdoor recreation space. The building currently houses the regional library and child-care program, which are planned to remain through the transition. In August, Goshen will complete initial activities outlined by DHCD prior to beginning the feasibility study that is scheduled to complete in Spring of 2022.

Applications are currently being accepted for the Fiscal Year 2022 Virginia Telecommunication Initiative (VATI) grant program. To help achieve Governor Northam’s goal for universal broadband coverage throughout the Commonwealth by 2024, the Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) will award funds to eligible applicants to provide last-mile services to unserved areas in Virginia. The CSPDC is available to assist with regional applications that are due on September 14, 2021.

In June, GO Virginia Region 8 Council approved a proposal to fund the Agricultural Innovation Center in Buena Vista. Proposed by The Advancement Foundation, the Agricultural Innovation Center plans to transform a vacant 37,000 square-foot factory in downtown Buena Vista into a flagship, ag-tech innovation facility featuring a business accelerator and classrooms, ag and food tech labs, a small-scale manufacturing space, a processing and product development space, and a commercial kitchen. Requested GO Virginia funds would help to establish the Center’s business acceleration and commercialization program, execute the value-added product development program, and provide initial funding for the purchase of manufacturing and processing equipment. Partnering localities include the City of Buena Vista, Rockbridge County, Rockingham County, Town of Elkton, and City of Winchester.

The project is currently being reviewed by the Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) and will be considered by the GO Virginia State Board at their September meeting for final funding approval. The CSPDC has provided grant support and administration.