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
Watershed Wellness Stormwater Projects Complete in Lexington and Staunton
Two area nonprofit organizations recently completed projects under the CSPDC Watershed Wellness Program. Watershed Wellness provides 100% no-match funding for the planning, design, and implementation of nature-based stormwater projects that address water quality and flooding, supported by the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ).
Boxerwood Education Foundation in Lexington installed a rainwater catchment system on its 1,200 square foot barn to support education and garden programs at its 15-acre facility. The system includes gutters and collection infrastructure to harvest approximately 28,000 gallons annually, addressing rainwater saturation that has caused soil erosion and structural damage around the barn. The collected rainwater will irrigate plantings in areas without water access.
Shenandoah Green worked with the Staunton Augusta YMCA (SAYMCA)00to improve a 0.35-mile segment of Lewis Creek at SAYMCA’s new facility on New Hope Road in Staunton. The improvements included planting 180 native riparian trees and vegetation along the stream. Shenandoah Green worked with a landscape engineer to design the site to improve its ecological function and make the stream publicly accessible.
The two-year program will award nearly $100,000 for stormwater planning and implementation projects across the region and is accepting applications on a rolling basis until funds are expended. Learn more at: https://www.cspdc.org/programs-services/wip-iii/
Waynesboro’s Fairfax Hall Reopens, Preserving History While Expanding Affordable Housing
On April 30, the Waynesboro Redevelopment and Housing Authority hosted a Grand Reopening to mark the completion of a $15 million rehabilitation at the historic Fairfax Hall in Waynesboro, a project that pairs historic preservation with expanded affordable housing for senior residents.
Developed by the South River Development Corporation (SRDC), the nonprofit affiliate of the Waynesboro Redevelopment and Housing Authority, the project modernized the nationally-listed historic building while expanding accessibility for residents. Originally constructed in 1890 as the Brandon Hotel, the building has served many purposes, including as a girls’ junior college and later a training center, before being converted to affordable housing for seniors after a 2001 renovation.
The Central Shenandoah Planning District Commission played a key role, contributing $200,000 through the Planning District Commission (PDC) Housing Development Grant to fund two accessible and affordable housing units inside the historic structure — units that were completed in FY24.
Today, Fairfax Hall demonstrates how historic preservation and affordable housing can work together — keeping a piece of the region’s architectural heritage in active use while adding accessible homes for seniors who need them. The CSPDC looks forward to supporting similar projects across the region as additional PDC Housing Development Grant funds from Virginia Housing become available.
CSPDC Staff Present at VTA Annual Conference & Bus Expo
Director of Transportation Paula Melester and JMU Graduate Assistant Kayla Dixon presented “Stories That Move People: Building Transit’s Case in the Community” at the Virginia Transit Association (VTA) Annual Conference on May 19–20. The session outlined BRITE Transit’s research-backed, story-centered outreach campaign built around three pillars — information, relevance, and compelling stories — and featured CSPDC’s Value of Transit video. CSPDC’s Value of Transit campaign uses the stories of riders, employers and local officials to demonstrate the return on investment in the BRITE system.
With a transit marketing grant through the Department of Rail and Public Transportation (DRPT), in the coming fiscal year we will design and implement a multimedia campaign to promote BRITE Transit and expand the Value of Transit project. The campaign will include marketing toolkits for our regional partners tailored to their needs, television and radio ads, and digital content to meet BRITE’s goal of increasing access and growing ridership on the system.
