State Funding for PDCs

General Assembly:

“The House and Senate budget conferees charged with reaching an agreement on a compromise budget for the remainder of FY14 and the next biennium are in place. Both chambers approved their version of the budget a week ago, and on Wednesday, the plans were rejected by the other chamber, setting the stage for senior budget writers to work through the weekend and early next week to attempt to reconcile differences in the spending plans…

The introduced budget included a $70,000 reduction each year in state funding to Planning District Commissions. The House includes an amendment to restore the funds; the Senate does not include such an amendment.”

~ David Blount, TJPDC Legislative Liaison

Bike Route 76 Corridor Study

Thomas Jefferson PDC:

As part of its FY14 Rural Transportation Program, the TJPDC  is conducting a Corridor Study of the Route 76 Bike Route within our region. U.S. Bicycle Route 76, also known as the TransAmerica Bike Route, is a national Bike Route that spans from the Midwest to eastern Virginia. Along this path, the route passes through five of the localities in our region - Albemarle, Charlottesville, Fluvanna, Louisa and Nelson. The intent of this work is to increase safety, access and awareness of the bike route. The Rural Technical Committee has conducted a scoping meeting for this project to help guide the process and deliverables.

The project scope includes three main elements:

1.    An Inventory of existing conditions;

2.    A promotional campaign to provide route information and online resources; and,

3.    Recommendations for roadway improvements that would increase bike safety.

Work during the current fiscal year will focus on Item 1, an inventory of existing conditions along the 136-mile stretch of Route 76 in our region. For additional information on this project, please visit the project website at www.tjpdc.org/route76 or contact Will Cockrell at wcockrell@tjpdc.org, 434-979-7310 x 440.

FAMPO blesses parkway proposals

Fredericksburg Area MPO:

“A boisterous overflow crowd didn’t hear what it wanted at Monday night’s Fredericksburg Area Metropolitan Planning Organization meeting. Several dozen residents took part in what has been a long-running battle over projects aimed at easing congestion problems along the Fredericksburg area’s Interstate 95 corridor.

Most of them spoke against a resolution to move forward with road projects estimated to cost hundreds of millions of dollars, including a pair of parkways opposed by Spotsylvania County and Stafford County residents who would be impacted by them. But after all was said and done, FAMPO’s policy committee voted to approve the resolution.

The projects include the Rappahannock River Crossing, which would add collector–distributor roads and bridges along I–95 between the U.S. 17 and State Route 3 exits.”

~ Writes Scott Shenk of The Free Lance-Star

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Col. Beach will present stronger revitalization grant application

Northern Neck PDC:

“After only four meetings with Jerry Davis, Executive Director of the Northern Neck Planning District Commission, the Colonial Beach Revitalization Management Team is ready to pass the draft application on to the town council. ‘This will be the last meeting for the group before the grant application is approved,’ Davis told the group with confidence. Davis recapped the project’s final details with the group and finalized the last steps needed to complete the process of applying for an almost $1 million Community Development Block Grant.

The application will go to the council for their second and final public hearing next week. Davis and staff will present a draft application to the council at the February 13 meeting. Changes will be made as needed, and Davis hopes to have the council’s final approval to submit the application at the March meeting… Previously, Colonial Beach’s application dealt mostly with slum and blight elimination. So to make the application more competitive, the group has focused more on providing low- to moderate-income jobs. Currently, in order for businesses to take advantage of the loans provided through the grant, they must commit to creating at least one job for low- to moderate-income individuals.”

 ~Writes Linda Farneth of The Journal

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Funding for PDCs

General Assembly

“Amendments have been proposed in both the House and Senate to restore $70,000 in each year to the Department of Housing and Community Development for pass-thru funding to Planning District Commissions. The introduced budget proposed this pull-back of funding from DHCD as part of an executive management savings strategy, which also affects a host of other state agency programs."

~Writes David Blount, TJPDC Legislative Liaison

Elkton focuses on Gateway plan details

Central Shenandoah PDC:

“During its Jan. 20 meeting, the Elkton Town Council received an extensive report on the progress of the Gateway project from Erin Yancey, who is a regional planner with the Central Shenandoah Planning District Commission.

Yancey’s presentation made clear that the Gateway project is much more than simple landscaping at the intersection of U.S. 33 and U.S. 340 (South Stuart Avenue) – the part of the project that has been frequently mentioned at council meetings. The intersection landscaping is a peripheral part of the full project, which is focused on ‘revitalizing’ and ‘restructuring’ the downtown area of Elkton, as Yancey explained. She began her presentation by noting that the intersection is scheduled for plantings in March. Then, she explained the full project.

Comission planners have been attending Gateway Steering Committee meetings and explaining what a major downtown revitalization project could look like and how the committee could make it happen.

The first step, Yancey explained, would be an application to the state Department of Housing and Community Development for a $35,000 Business District Revitalization Planning Grant, which would provide a professional planner for discussions with town representatives on the possible projects for downtown improvements. This discussion would be expected to lead to a refined list of final project choices, which the commission calls an “economic restructuring plan.””

~ Writes Ted Hayes of The Valley Banner

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Greenhouse Village Housing Project Receives CDBG Grant

Central Shenandoah PDC

“With the help of a $288,936 Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) from the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD), Rockbridge County has partnered with Rockbridge Area Habitat for Humanity to address a need for affordable housing in the Rockbridge area. The Greenhouse Village Housing Production Project will provide for the construction of eight homes for low- and moderate-income (LMI) families and the infrastructure required to serve them within a two-year period. The new infrastructure component of the project will not only serve the eight homes called for in the grant, but also serve 30+ future home sites in the Greenhouse Village neighborhood currently without access to public water, sewer or streets. The project also identifies a significant amount of down payment assistance available to eligible homebuyers, further reducing their cost of homeownership.

  

The CSPDC assisted Rockbridge County with the CDBG grant proposal and will provide ongoing grant administration services.  ”

~Central Shenandoah PDC