Commonwealth Regional Council (CRC) Community Development Planner Cam Johnson recently provided an update to its Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS).

The CRC received a grant in fall of 2017 to develop a regional CEDS program. If the region fits the criteria for an Economic Development District (EDD), it would allow the CRC to receive more grant funding from the U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA) to help strengthen the regional economy.

“CEDS is a locally-based, regionally-driven economic development planning process and document,” documentation from the CRC cited. “The purpose of a CEDS is to bring together public and private sectors in building a roadmap with a strategy-driven focus to diversify and strengthen the region’s economy.”

The CEDS committee, which includes representatives from Lunenburg and surrounding counties, held a meeting on Feb. 25.

Johnson said a representative of The Berkley Group, which is assisting the CRC in developing the CEDS program, presented the draft report of the CEDS. The report, Johnson said, was formulated by the Berkley Group, Timmons Group and the Virginia Commonwealth University Center for Urban and Regional Analysis

“Committee members got together to put together comments based on their review of the CEDS report,” Johnson said. “These comments were taken back by The Berkley Group in preparation of our public review session.”

Johnson said the session is set to be held later in March.

“Once The Berkley Group considers the comments and makes all of the necessary changes to the draft document, the CEDS will become available for review to the public,” Johnson said.