CSPDC and DEQ Kick Off Regional Water Supply Plans
On April 1, 2025, CSPDC staff, representatives from the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ), and regional stakeholders gathered to kick-off the Shenandoah River 1 and Upper James River 1 Water Supply Plans. These plans are being developed in accordance with the Local and Regional Water Supply Planning Regulation (9VAC25-780), which requires their completion by 2029.
The Shenandoah River 1 regional planning unit includes Augusta and Rockingham counties; the cities of Harrisonburg, Staunton, and Waynesboro; and the towns of Bridgewater, Broadway, Craigsville, Dayton, Elkton, Grottoes, Mount Crawford, and Timberville.
The Upper James River 1 planning unit includes Bath, Highland, and Rockbridge counties; the cities of Buena Vista and Lexington; and the towns of Glasgow, Goshen, and Monterey.
To support initial planning efforts, the CSPDC has received approximately $20,000 in grant funding across the two regional units. This will help with early-stage activities such as developing a project management plan and timeline, conducting initial data collection, and local data requests.
The water supply planning process is a long-term, collaborative effort involving input from state agencies, regional entities, and local governments. The CSPDC will lead coordination of all planning efforts for both water supply plans, facilitating communication among DEQ, localities, and public service authorities, and overseeing data collection and plan development.
CSPDC Applies for Increased SPARC Allocation for First-Time Homebuyers’ Program
In April 2025, the CPSDC applied for its third allocation of funds through Virginia Housing’s Sponsoring Partnerships & Revitalizing Communities (SPARC) Program. Building on the success of its previous efforts, the CSPDC is seeking $4.5 million in SPARC funding to support first-time, eligible homebuyers across the Central Shenandoah region.
The CSPDC first became a SPARC sponsor in 2023, with an initial $1.7 million allocation. Due to strong demand for more SPARC funds, the CSPDC asked for an allocation of $3 million the following year, which was fully expended by the end of the first quarter of 2025. Through this funding, the CSPDC helped a total of eleven homebuyers achieve homeownership, seven in Rockingham County, three in the City of Harrisonburg, and one in the City of Waynesboro. Each program participant completed Virginia Housing’s Homebuyer Education course and received housing counseling services from Southeast Rural Community Assistance Project Inc. (SERCAP).
The SPARC Program offers a reduced mortgage interest rate (a 1% adjustment below Virginia Housing’s prevailing home loan rates), potentially saving homebuyers thousands of dollars over the life of their loan. SPARC funds can also be used to complement the CSPDC’s existing First Time Homebuyer Program, which provides down payment and closing cost assistance to income-qualified homebuyers at 80% AMI or below. For more information about the CSPDC’s First-time homebuyer’s program, please contact Philippe Bone at 540-885-5174 or by email here.
Lewis Street Transit Hub Recognized with National Civic Improvement Award
The Central Shenandoah Planning District Commission (CSPDC) is proud to announce that the Lewis Street Transit Hub has been honored with a Civic Improvement Commendation from the Garden Club of America. The award recognizes “outstanding efforts which enhance, protect, or restore the local environment and improve the community.”
The Augusta Garden Club, a local chapter affiliated with the Garden Club of Virginia, nominated the project for this national honor. The club praised the thoughtful transformation of the site, particularly highlighting the use of native plants as an added value to the project.
In the nomination letter, the club’s Awards Chairman Marie Thomas shared, “This project has it all – improvement of an eyesore, proper use of governmental grants, and sensitivity to the needs of the neighborhood and travelers. This area was formerly an abandoned space that the Planning Commission has incorporated into a lovely green space to allow beauty and peace for citizens who use public transportation.”
The CSPDC team, represented by Ann Cundy and Paula Melester, accepted the award on April 9, 2025 during the Augusta Garden Club’s April meeting. In reflecting on the achievement, Ms. Melester emphasized that the award is a celebration of the entire project team — from funding partners, to the landscape architects and engineers at Kimley-Horn and Associates, the City of Staunton, and the contractors who brought the vision to life.
Thanks to the collaborative efforts of everyone involved, the Lewis Street Transit Hub now proudly carries the title of an “Award-Winning” site, enhancing the community and providing a welcoming space for transit users.
Congratulations to all who contributed to this transformational project!
The Lewis Street Transit Hub Rehabilitation was funded through a Federal Transit Administration Bus and Bus Facilities (5339) grant matched with state funding provided by the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation (DRPT). You can read more about the project here.
SAWMPO Completes Phase II of Long-Range Transportation Plan Update
The Staunton-Augusta-Waynesboro Metropolitan Planning Organization (SAWMPO) is updating the 2050 Long Range Transportation Plan (LRTP), a comprehensive strategy designed to guide transportation investments across the region over the next 25 years. This plan aims to address the evolving mobility needs of the community, ensuring a more connected, safe, and efficient transportation network.
The LRTP is updated every five years through a multi-phase process emphasizing public involvement. The 2050 update kicked off in August 2024 and includes three phases of public engagement. Phase I – the visioning phase – was completed in Fall 2024. You can read more about Phase I here.
Building on initial insights, during Phase II SAWMPO presented a list of potential transportation projects for public review. Over 200 comments were received via an interactive map hosted on the CSPDC’s new public engagement platform CSPDC Connects.
MPO staff spoke to elected officials and community members directly about the proposed project list. Staff presented the proposed list at Staunton City Council, Waynesboro City Council, and the Augusta County Board of Supervisors meetings and held three public meetings in Staunton, Waynesboro, and Stuarts Draft where they answered questions from residents about the proposed projects.
The next phase involves developing a draft plan incorporating public feedback and project evaluations. This draft will be available for community review and input later this year before finalization.
CSPDC Housing Study Topic of JMU Stakeholder Discussion
On April 29th, JMU’s Office of Economic & Community Development hosted a discussion session on the CSPDC’s Regional Housing Study. The session provided space for local housing planners, service providers, real estate, and finance partners to engage with the Housing Study’s data and recommended solutions more deeply. Twenty community leaders collaboratively worked through two case studies with the goal of identifying next steps community partners can pursue to address our region’s housing issues. This is the first of a series of quarterly discussion sessions JMU will host over the next year on a variety of pressing community topics.