In July 2024, the CSPDC secured its second allocation of funding from Virginia Housing’s Sponsoring Partnerships & Revitalizing Communities (SPARC) Program. With over $3 million in SPARC funds now available for eligible first-time homebuyers, the CSPDC can help more individuals achieve homeownership in the Central Shenandoah region.

Through SPARC, Virginia Housing’s approved lenders can offer a 1% mortgage interest rate reduction to eligible first-time homebuyers, enhancing their purchasing power and potentially saving them thousands over the life of the loan. These funds will complement the CSPDC’s existing First-Time Homebuyer Program, which provides down payment and closing cost assistance to income-qualified buyers at 80% AMI or below.

Additionally, the City of Harrisonburg received an allocation of SPARC funds, making it the first locality in the Central Shenandoah to offer interest rate reductions to future eligible homebuyers.

For more information about the CSPDC’s First-Time Homebuyer Programs, please contact: Philippe Bone, philippe@cspdc.org.

How do you want to get around the Staunton-Augusta-Waynesboro region in 2050? The Staunton Augusta Waynesboro Metropolitan Planning Organization (SAWMPO) wants to hear from residents about their community priorities to help shape the future of the region’s transportation network.

The SAWMPO, which is staffed by CSPDC, is providing several ways for residents to get involved and provide input that will guide the development of the region’s 2050 Long Range Transportation Plan (LRTP).

The LRTP will cover all modes of transportation within the cities of Staunton and Waynesboro and the urbanized portion of Augusta County. Phase One of the 2050 LRTP process is focused on the community vision for the future of transportation in the SAWMPO region. Residents are invited to:

• Fill out the online Visioning Survey between August 12 and September 30, 2024 in English or in Español.
• Register to participate in the webinar on August 28 at 12 p.m. or watch the recording on-demand.

The community priorities identified in the survey will be one element used to determine which transportation projects are considered, and to develop the evaluation criteria for the projects before they can be included in the 2050 LRTP.

Visit sawmpo.org/long-range-planning for more information and to sign up to receive email updates on the LRTP.

The Central Shenandoah Planning District Commission has selected Ann Cundy to serve as the new Executive Director of the CSPDC. Ann has served the CSPDC for over 11 years, most recently as the Director of Transportation where she managed the agency’s transportation and transit programs. Her new position took effect April 1. She follows Bonnie Riedesel who retired after working at the CSPDC for 29 years and serving as its Executive Director since 2008.

Frank Friedman, Vice Chair of the CSPDC, says “I am delighted to announce that Ann will lead the agency in the years ahead. The CSPDC will benefit from her tremendous knowledge of planning and years of experience. I invite all our member jurisdictions to congratulate Ann and to support her future success.” All the Commissioners look forward to supporting Ann and the entire CSPDC team in serving our 21 jurisdictions in the region.