Background
A Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy, or CEDS, serves as a strategic blueprint for economic and community development across the 11-county Central Ohio region.
The CEDS Committee is responsible for the development, implementation, revision, or replacement of the CEDS.
Current CEDS: 2021-2026
CEDS Process
MORPC worked with regional partners One Columbus, the Mid-Ohio Development Exchange, and economic development leaders across 11 counties to develop and complete a CEDS, which can be found below.
The development of the CEDS was guided by a strategy committee, which, in addition to county economic developers, included private sector representatives, transit agencies, higher education and workforce development stakeholders from around the region.
CEDS Content & Impact
The CEDS includes actions on topics such as infrastructure investment, housing, broadband, mobility and more. The document contains the following sections: Summary Background, SWOT Assessment, Action Plan, and Evaluation Framework.
Through the CEDS, the 11-county region is further able to:
- Align regional goals to meet EDA requirements and investment priorities;
- Plan for economic resiliency and respond to and recover from economic shocks and displacement; and
- Attract new federal resources and technical assistance to advance regional econmic devlopment funding.
EDA CEDS Approval and EDD Designation
The completed CEDS document was approved by the U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA) on February 1, 2022. With an approved CEDS in place, MORPC applied for an Economic Development District (EDD) designation, which was awarded by the U.S. EDA in September 2023. This established MORPC as the EDD for the 11-county Central Ohio region of Delaware, Fairfield, Franklin, Knox, Licking, Logan, Madison, Marion, Morrow, Pickaway, and Union counties. The CEDS, and ultimately the EDD designation, unlocks new funding sources and key economic development tools across our region.
For more on MORPC’s EDD designation, visit the Economic Development page. For more on comprehensive economic development strategies, visit the EDA’s website.
