CSPDC Receives Virginia Housing Grant for Regional Data Dashboard

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.

Rocks to Roofs: A Housing Symposium for Tomorrow

Logo with Mountains

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.