Summary Background

PURPOSE AND BACKGROUND INFORMATION

This Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS) allows the Northern Neck Economic Development Planning District Commission (NNPDC) to apply for assistance from the Economic Development Administration (EDA) under the Economic Development Administration Reform Act of 1998. Economic development planning has been a key element in achieving EDA’s long-term goals since the original Public Works and Economic Development Act was enacted in 1965. The Overall Economic Development Program process was what made EDA a truly effective federal/local partnership, resulting in the creation of over 320 Economic Development Districts (EDD) around the country. EDDs play a key role in local economic development. Instead of having to respond to individual requests from the over 2,000 eligible county economic development organizations around the nation, EDDs assist the EDA in establishing regional priorities for projects and investments. The EDD for the Northern Neck region is the Northern Neck Planning District Commission, which was designated an Economic Development District by the U.S. Department of Commerce, Economic Development Administration, in February 1999.

Northern Neck CEDS History
First CEDS adopted on July 17, 2000
Revised CEDS adopted on April 29, 2002
Revised CEDS adopted on September 2, 2003
Revised CEDS adopted on October 18, 2010
Revised CEDS adopted on April 22, 2013
Revised CEDS adopted on April 16, 2018
Revised CEDS adopted on _________, 2022

This document was prepared with funding from the:

U.S. Department of Commerce Economic Development Administration
Curtis Center, Suite 140 South
601 Walnut Street
Philadelphia, PA 19106-3821
215.597.7883
www.eda.gov

This study was conducted under the auspices of the Northern Neck Planning District Commission

Jerry W. Davis, AICP
Executive Director
P.O. Box 1600
Warsaw, Virginia 22572
804.333.1900

Production Team for this CEDS edition:
Research and text: Grella Partnership Strategies
Administration: Jerry W. Davis, AICP, Executive Director, NNPDC
Production: Lisa Hull, Economic Development and Tourism Coordinator, NNPDC

References and Sources

Reference Table:
Master Table Provided by Statebook.com: https://bit.ly/CEDS-table

Interviews:
Multiple interviews were conducted with business owners, community leaders, government officials, educators; some also participated in various group discussions or other forums. 

Sources: 
U.S. Census Bureau Washington, D.C. (2020 Census)
County Business Patterns, of the U.S. Census Bureau
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (2021 Data)
StateBook.com
Surfrider Foundation (surfrider.org)
Polyindustries.com (Polyindsutries.com)
DATAUSA.io, a service of Deloitte
Northern Neck Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy 2018, Northern Neck Planning
District Commission and the Virginia Tech Office of Economic Development
Northern Neck Regional Water Supply Plan by EEE Consulting, funded by Virginia Department of Environmental Quality and the Counties of the Northern Neck 2009
Northern Neck Regional Hazard Mitigation Plan by Federal Emergency Management Agency, Virginia Department of Emergency Management and Dewberry, 2017 Update
Stronger Economies Together (SET) 2013 to 2018 by USDA and Regional Rural Development Centers 
Northern Neck Corridor Improvement Study by Virginia Department of Transportation, 2014
Strategic Tourism Plan for the Northern Neck of Virginia: 2019 to 2023, Dr. Vincent Magnini, Virginia Tech
Coastal Virginia Small Business Resilience Self-Assessment and Guide developed by the Old Dominion University Institute for Coastal Adaptation and Resilience. 
Subsector Insights and Recommendations, a report for the Virginia Economic Development Partnership by Boston Consulting Group, August 2021.
The National Park Service
The State of the South (several editions), produced by MDC, covering the period from 1996 to 2017