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The Commonwealth Regional Council (CRC) received news April 15 that the Economic Development Administration (EDA) approved the council’s Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS).

The CRC received a $60,000 EDA grant in 2017 in order to create the CEDS for the CRC region, according to a release from the CRC. The Berkley Group was hired as the consultant to assist the council in producing the CEDS, which was submitted to EDA for approval in May of last year.

The approval means the CRC’s current member counties of Amelia, Buckingham, Charlotte, Lunenburg and Prince Edward will now be eligible to apply for EDA funding on many types of projects, including economic adjustment, trade adjustment assistance, planning, public works and technical assistance.

CRC’s next step is to apply for an Economic Development District (EDD) designation. EDDs are multi-jurisdictional entities that help lead locally based, regionally driven economic development planning by leveraging involvement of public, private and non-profit sectors, establishing a roadmap for regional collaboration.

“I am pleased that the EDA has approved the CEDS plan for Virginia’s heartland region,” Charlotte County Administrator Dan Witt said. “The CEDS plan allows the regional participants to now apply for any of the EDA grants made available. The CRC is now eligible to apply for designation as an EDD, which will also benefit our region economically. I appreciate the work the CRC did to get our CEDS plan approved and look forward to working with them on grant opportunities through the EDA that will benefit both Charlotte County and the region.”