CSPDC Receives Virginia Housing Grant for Regional Data Dashboard

Posted on July 27, 2026July 27, 2026 by Kayla Dixon

The CSPDC has received a $50,000 Capacity Building Implementation Grant from Virginia Housing to develop an interactive regional data dashboard. The grant program supports organizations in enhancing their operations, processes, and resources to better serve their communities.

Developed in partnership with the University of Virginia’s Weldon Cooper Center for Public Service, the dashboard will build on findings from the Central Shenandoah Regional Housing Study to provide local governments, housing organizations, developers, and other regional partners with timely, accessible demographic, economic, and housing data. Key housing indicators will include housing age and type, occupancy, home values, tenure, and cost burden among renters and homeowners.

Through interactive visualizations, users will be able to compare data across localities and explore connections among income, age, housing tenure, affordability, and other factors.

By putting current, locally relevant information within easy reach, the dashboard will help regional partners better understand housing needs, prioritize investments, and build stronger applications for state and federal funding.

Data collection and analysis are expected to continue through fall 2026, with the dashboard scheduled for completion by early 2027. We look forward to sharing updates as the dashboard takes shape.

VDOT Completes Public Engagement for Shenandoah Valley Rail-with-Trail Assessment

Posted on July 27, 2026July 27, 2026 by Kayla Dixon

With publication of the Phase 3 Public Engagement Summary, VDOT has concluded the Shenandoah Valley Rail-with-Trail Assessment — a study that began in March 2024 to evaluate options for the 49-mile rail corridor running through Warren, Shenandoah, and Rockingham counties.

Phase 3 public engagement took place in the Spring of 2026 with in-person meetings in the towns of Woodstock, Front Royal, and Timberville, and an online survey that was open from April 8 through May 13, 2026.

VDOT received 8,150 survey responses. Among the 2,552 respondents from Warren, Shenandoah, and Rockingham Counties, 69.9% named converting the corridor to a trail as the best investment for the Commonwealth, compared with 6.7% who favored keeping rail service alongside a parallel trail. 18.4% of these respondents along the corridor said they had no preference, and 5.0% said they liked neither option.

Support for rail-to-trail was similarly strong statewide, at 57.8% of the 6,160 respondents identifiable by Virginia zip code.

In February 2026, the Secretary of Transportation’s office indicated to the Commonwealth Transportation Board that it would begin negotiations with Norfolk Southern to acquire the corridor. The final configuration — rail-to-trail or rail-with-trail — will be decided later, informed in part by this engagement data.

Full engagement summary and project materials are available on VDOT’s project page.

Hazard Mitigation Plan Enters Final Review Stage

Posted on February 23, 2026February 23, 2026 by Paula Melester

After nearly two years of regional collaboration, the updated Central Shenandoah Hazard Mitigation Plan has entered formal review. In late January, the CSPDC submitted a full draft to the Virginia Department of Emergency Management (VDEM) for review, the first step in a multi-agency approval process expected to take several months.

Once the state review is complete, the plan advances to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), which has up to 45 days to evaluate compliance with federal hazard mitigation planning requirements (44 CFR Part 201). If the plan meets all requirements, FEMA will grant conditional approval pending local adoption. That local adoption step is critical: participating jurisdictions must formally adopt the plan to remain eligible for federal and state grant programs aimed at reducing the impact of disasters.

This update marks the third full revision of the plan since its original adoption in 2005. The extensive process engaged 5 cities, 5 counties, 11 towns, 3 special districts, roughly 30 agencies and organizations, and community members. Four steering committee meetings, individual consultations with each participating locality, and public surveys drawing input from more than 450 residents shaped the final product.

The plan identifies flooding, wildfires, and severe winter weather as the region’s highest natural hazard risks. These risks reflect a combination of historic development patterns along rivers, densely forested ridgelines, and the elevation changes that define the region’s terrain. Among human-caused hazards, hazardous materials incidents rank as a leading concern, reflecting the region’s location along the Interstate 81 corridor and its manufacturing base. The plan also addresses a distinctive regional challenge: maintaining reliable emergency communications within the constraints of the National Radio Quiet Zone and the area’s complex mountain geography.

To read the draft plan and share feedback, visit https://connect.cspdc.org/hazard-mitigation-plan