Welcome to the CSPDC
The Central Shenandoah Planning District Commission
(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, hazard mitigation, agritourism, to human services, the CSPDC is an invaluable asset to the quality of life in the Central Shenandoah Valley. For more information about the CSPDC, click here.
Central Shenandoah Planning District Commission
112 MacTanly Place
Staunton, VA 24401
Phone: 540-885-5174
Fax: 540-885-2687
View Our Regional Collaboration Video
Latest News
Rocks to Roofs: A Housing Symposium for Tomorrow
Community leaders, developers, policymakers, and housing advocates will soon convene on Tuesday, October 21, from 8:30a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at the Virginia Horse Center in Lexington, VA, to explore the area’s most pressing housing challenges. Through presentations from Virginia Housing, the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development, and other partners, attendees will explore ways to advance housing opportunities across the Rockbridge area.
The Central Shenandoah Planning District Commission (CSPDC) will also share its findings and housing solutions from its Regional Housing Study. In February, the CSPDC released its Regional Housing Study, funded by Virginia Housing and developed in partnership with Virginia Tech’s Center for Housing Research and HousingForward Virginia. The study offers an in-depth analysis of housing markets across the Central Shenandoah region and presents locally tailored strategies to address housing needs.
Rockbridge-area solutions featured in the study include:
- Empowering Economic Development Authorities to support housing development
- Expanding incentives for residential construction and rehabilitation
- Laying the groundwork for high-quality mixed-use development
Rocks to Roofs: A Housing Symposium for Tomorrow is a collaboration between Virginia Housing, Rockbridge County, Cities of Buena Vista and Lexington, Rockbridge Highlands Realtors Association, Central Shenandoah Planning District, and The Chamber of Commerce, Serving Lexington, Buena Vista, and Rockbridge County. The official speaker lineup will be announced soon.
To learn more or register:
🔗 Rocks to Roofs: A Housing Symposium for Tomorrow
To explore additional materials related to the Regional Housing Study, visit our CSPDC Connects page.
CSPDC Undertakes Strategic Agency Assessment
In early 2025, CSPDC engaged the Southeastern Executive Research Institute (SERDI) to conduct an assessment of the agency. Through surveys and in-person focus groups, SERDI staff engaged with the Commission, local government managers, planners, and CSPDC staff to understand what’s working well, and how the agency can best serve its member localities.
SERDI executive director Jim Youngquist will present draft recommendations from the assessment to the Commission at the October 20th meeting, and then finalize the report. The surveys and focus group discussions were generally positive about the value that the CSPDC provides to localities and the ways in which we strengthen the region. It also recognized the need to expand awareness and understanding of our mission to all local elected officials and explore opportunities to provide new services to our localities such as enterprise GIS data management and mapping and water resources and stormwater management expertise.
VDOT Completes Phase 2 of Shenandoah Valley Rail with Trail Assessment
The Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) has published its Phase 2 report for the Shenandoah Valley Rail with Trail Assessment. The report evaluates track and structure conditions in relation to requirements for the feasibility of future rail operations along the 49-mile stretch of the Norfolk Southern-owned corridor between Broadway and Front Royal.
The Phase 2 report, released in September 2025, includes five appendices: environmental desktop review, drainage and stormwater management, track rehabilitation, bridge load ratings, and public input from spring 2025 meetings in Timberville, Front Royal, and Woodstock. The assessment compares the engineering requirements and costs of restoring rail service with an adjacent trail to the previously studied rail-to-trail conversion. VDOT is conducting this as a fact-finding effort to assist the Commonwealth in determining next steps for the $35 million allocated for the corridor by the General Assembly through the 2020-2022 budget.
The final phase, Phase 3, will include cost estimates and documentation of assessment outcomes. VDOT expects to release the Phase 3 report this fall, followed by public engagement with in-person meetings and an online survey.
For more information and to view the Phase 2 report, visit the VDOT’s project page here: https://www.vdot.virginia.gov/projects/staunton-district/rockingham-shenandoah-and-warren-counties—shenandoah-valley-rail-with-trail-assessment/
