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From 2017 to 2021, the City of Charlotte recorded 93 bicycle crashes involving children ages 0 to 17. This number is higher than that of any other city in the state. To protect our children and their right to ride safely, the Clean Cities Energy and Environmental Justice Initiative (CCEEJI), an extension of the Centralina Clean Fuels Coalition, successfully applied for an NCDOT grant that awarded Centralina Regional Council with 50 helmets to distribute to local youth in underserved communities.  

CCEEJI is also partnering with the Historic West End community and local community-based organizations to help educate community members about clean transportation, starting with the completion of a transportation visioning and action planning process. In collaboration with the community, CCEEJI has identified the need for increased bicycle safety awareness among community members and local children. 

To achieve increased awareness, CCEEJI will partner with an elementary school to provide bicycle safety education to children in the West End community. CCEEJI hopes to reduce the number of bicycle-related injuries by reaching children early on with tools on how to ride safely and proactively. Following the completion of the safety program, children will be awarded a new helmet. 

Learn more about the Centralina Clean Fuels Coalition and CCEEJI here. 

Members can revisit this Centralina Learns for more information about environmental justice. 

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An important part of the Clean Cities Coalitions work includes collaboration with the Department of Energy and its national laboratories to work towards the goal established Justice40 Initiative, which aspires to put 40 percent of the overall benefits of certain Federal investments towards disadvantaged communities. Disadvantaged communities are defined as those communities historically marginalized by pollution and underinvestment in housing, transportation, water and wastewater infrastructure and health care. In response to the new legislation, The Clean Cities Energy and Environmental Justice Initiative (CCEEJI) was created to provide Clean Cities Coalitions with training and resources on how to take a community-first approach to developing transportation projects that align with the goals of this initiative.

Through the CCEEJI program, CCFC has received federal funds to develop a two-year community needs transportation pilot program. Dailyn Sailor, Community Engagement Coordinator, will primarily lead CCEEJI implementation efforts for CCFC. In her role, she will partner with citizens and community-based organizations in the Historic West End neighborhood in Charlotte, a community that has been impacted by a long history of disinvestment, segregation and discriminatory and destructive infrastructure planning and decision-making. Dailyn and the CCFC team are building on existing partnerships with leaders and stakeholders in the Historic West End to provide a foundation for collaborative, community-led transportation planning, with the ultimate goal to develop a Community Transportation Action Plan that identifies pathways to leverage federal funding for local transportation projects. 

If you’re interested in learning more about this program and staying up to date on the programs progress, visit the CCFC website or reach out to Dailyn Sailor at dsailor@centralina.org with any questions.

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This year marks the 55^th anniversary of the founding of Centralina Regional Council, formerly known as Centralina Council of Governments. Over the last five and a half decades, our organization has helped support the growth and prosperity of our region through various projects and initiatives. In honor of this historic year, we’re looking back at how our organization has evolved to where it is today.  

The Formation of Regional Councils 

In 1968, Congress began working to pass the Intergovernmental Cooperation Act, which called for closer cooperation between federal programs and state and local governments. The passage of that legislation precipitated the 1969 North Carolina legislation designed to create a system of multi-county regional planning districts to cover the entire state. By this time, the idea of Centralina was already in the works. In 1967, representatives from 28 local governments within the greater Charlotte region gathered to discuss the importance of working together to achieve regional prosperity and by 1968, the outlines of Central Piedmont Regional Council (later changed to Centralina Council of Governments in 1972) were solidified. Our charter was signed on September 18, 1968, and in early 1969, Centralina’s first executive director, Charles Turner, was appointed.  

The First Twenty Years 

“In the initial formation period of the organization, Centralina focused on issues of regional significance as identified by member governments. Former chairman of the board, Milton Short, gave an address in 1972 that stated Centralina would expand its focus to address housing, transportation, parks and recreation and the environment. We coordinated with the NC Energy Institute and the Western Piedmont Council of Governments to create the Resource Recovery Feasibility Study to map paths for governments to reduce their solid waste while also generating energy. Centralina’s portfolio evolved to include responsibilities delegated to it from federal and state agencies, including administering aging services and older adult programs. Highlights from this period include: 

• • Used the US Housing and Urban Development (HUD) 701 program in 1970 to support planning assistance  
  • Established the regional aging ombudsman program 
  • Created the first Centralina Area Agency on Aging three-year plan for the Region F Aging Advisory Committee that worked to address nutrition, employment and other aging-related services 
  • Formed the Centralina Certified Development Corporation, offering small business loans and assistance 
  • Formed Centralina Workforce Development Board (WDB) under the name Centralina Private Industry Council, the first multi-county, regional board in the state 

The 1990s 

With the region growing rapidly by the 1990s, it was evident that local governments needed to focus on collaboration to coordinate on growth and economic development in response to the continued decline of the region’s textile industry. For example, in 1994, a steering committee convened to develop the 18-county Our Region Tomorrow strategic plan, which included a focus on recreation, infrastructure and the environment. A lesser-known aspect of Centralina’s history was our role in the emergence of the 911 system. When this emergency phone number was being rolled out, Centralina helped secure funds for EMS programs, offered training and education courses, helped set up information systems, coordinated risk management studies and facilitated cardiac equipment group purchasing for our region’s fire stations. Other highlights include: 

• • Assisted member governments with newly passed Americans with Disabilities Act compliance via training, facility inspections and suggested modifications of job descriptions and personnel practices  
  • Began offering code enforcement, building inspection and other technical assistance services to local governments 
  • Charted our region’s first JobLink Career Center (now NCWorks Career Center)  
  • Began testing and implementation of geographic information systems (GIS)  
  • Cohosted the I-485 forum to discuss the outer belt’s likely regional impacts and proposed development at its 36 interchanges 

The Next Twenty Years 

With the dawn of the twenty-first century, our region faced new challenges which required the organization to adapt and grow. Centralina saw new leadership with Executive Director Al Sharp stewarding the organization from 2002-2010. Centralina established what would become the Centralina Community Economic Development department and the human resources department. In 2010, Centralina brought on Jim Prosser as Executive Director who served until 2018. During this period, the CONNECT Our Future initiative kicked off with the goal of creating a framework for guiding and investing in the region’s growth, which still serves us today as the foundation for other regional collaboration projects such as CONNECT Beyond. Jim emphasized community engagement to ensure these plans reflected the people living throughout our region. He also saw that there was a strong desire for Centralina to play a larger role in helping communities coordinate their efforts to gain funding for growth. 

A few other highlights from this time: 

• • In 2005, the elected officials of our region began developing the CONNECT Regional Vision that was adopted shortly afterwards in 2008 
  • Centralina Regional Planning completed the 14-county Greater Charlotte Regional Freight Mobility Plan 
  • Centralina Clean Fuels Coalition was officially designated in the US Department of Energy Clean Cities program 
  • Centralina established the Centralina Economic Development Commission, later changing to the Centralina Economic Development District  
  • Competitive Workforce Alliance formed to encourage regional cooperation among the Centralina, Charlotte-Mecklenburg and Gaston workforce development boards and the Charlotte Regional Partnership, later expanding to include South Carolina and four more workforce boards 
  • Centralina WDB launched the NC Manufacturing Institute in partnership with Rowan-Cabarrus Community College, Cabarrus Regional Chamber of Commerce, Cabarrus Economic Development, Rowan Chamber of Commerce and RowanWorks 

The Next Chapter: 2019 to Present  

Geraldine Gardner became the next Executive Director of Centralina in January of 2019. After fifty years of service to the region, Centralina rebranded to Centralina Regional Council. The new name, logo and website was an effort to increase the visibility and positioning of the organization in the region. Another key change was the creation of the Government Affairs & Member Engagement (GAME) department to focus on intergovernmental affairs, member engagement and support services. Our technical assistance work also tripled during her short tenure. “Our experts and departments do excellent award-winning work, so my focus has really been on three main areas: external relationships within and outside of the region, our long-term fiscal health and expanding our internal capacity to support a growing organization,” states Geraldine.  

In 2020, we launched a multi-department effort to aid local governments, businesses and older adults during the COVID-19 pandemic response and recovery, including American Rescue Plan Act implementation. In 2021 we launched the Regional Resilience Collaborative to address disaster recovery planning needs. That same year, we also adopted the 12-county CONNECT Beyond regional mobility plan. Centralina is currently implementing our first three-year strategic plan, adopted in 2022, that sets the foundation for improving our fiscal health and building our organizational capacity.  

In Closing 

Centralina has seen a multitude of changes over the last 55 years. Executive directors have changed, and our organization has shifted our focus and service offerings to meet the shifting needs of our region. As we’ve grown and adapted over the decades, Centralina has remained dedicated to serving its communities and working to build a stronger, united region that can face the challenges of today and tomorrow. We look forward to continuing to lead regional collaboration and spark local action for 55 more years.  

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For 55 years, Centralina Regional Council has focused on addressing the needs of member communities in our nine-county area and worked collaboratively on issues that impact our region. We examine national, state and local trends impacting our member governments and identify their potential impacts to determine best practices for meeting needs and addressing challenges. This brief dives into current regional trends and how they are currently being addressed by Centralina, as well as how they will continue to be addressed in upcoming years. The top trends identified include 1) the region’s increase in older adult population; 2) diversifying economic sectors and related employment, education patterns; 3) changing mobility patterns and behaviors; 4) escalating unaffordability in the region; and 5) widening gaps in health and prosperity. These data trends and their impacts were considered in the development of the Centralina FY2023-2024 workplan. 

Population  

The total population of the Centralia region increased by 19% between 2010 and 2021.¹  This growth, however, is not evenly distributed across age groups. Regionally, the largest population growth occurred in the older adult population, with a 44% population increase among the 55+ age cohort¹. In comparison, there was an 8% population increase among the 0-19 age cohort and a 14% increase among the 20-54 age cohort¹. Similar rates of growth were seen across all nine counties, showing that this growth rate is happening in each corner of our region.  

The population increase in older adults is reported to be caused by aging baby boomers, low fertility rates, increased longevity and migration. North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services Division of Aging and Adult Services forecasts that our region’s 65+ population will increase by 54% by 2041, indicating that the region’s population of older adults will more than double in less than two decades. This growth is regionally impactful because there will be an increased need for local and regional services for older adults.  

How We Will Help:

Centralina will need to be more responsive, more creative and innovative in how we meet the need for increased services across the region for older adults. At the local level, our Centralina Area Aging on Aging (AAA) staff will work together with member governments to plan for age- and dementia-friendly communities, as recently directed by the May 2023 Executive Order 280, and ensure that our region’s local government services are accessible to all (workplan goal 2, strategy 2, action item 6). Additionally, Centralina will host six events for local governments, Centralina AAA volunteers and communities to inform and educate audiences about pressing aging and older adult issues (workplan goal 2, strategy 3, action Item 4). 

Economy  

Pre-pandemic, the region saw a 15.1% regional employment growth, compared to an 8.4% employment growth across the U.S. The top five industry clusters² in our region continue to grow to varying degrees across all counties. Our top industry clusters in the region include: 

1. Advanced Manufacturing 
2. Financial Services 
3. Health 
4. Information Technology 
5. Logistics and Distribution 

These high growth industries are present in all nine counties and feature jobs across a range of skill levels. The figure below shows the growth in employment from 2014-2019 in these industry clusters. It is evident that logistics and distribution grew the most and our largest employment sector, health or healthcare, grew by 13%. Total job growth accounts for 40% of all jobs created in the region during this time and contributed to our region’s ranking as the fourth fastest growing metro in the US pre-pandemic.  

Looking at our higher education trends between 2010-2021, there was an overall decrease in enrollment, but not a corresponding decrease in graduation rates, which is a positive indicator. There is, however, a growing mismatch in terms of the types of degrees and fields graduates are interested in. Looking at the amount of science, technology, engineering and math degrees (STEM), the Centralina region is ranked last compared to the major metros that were benchmarked against. Places like Austin, Nashville, Denver and Raleigh are outpacing us with STEM degrees that lead to higher paying jobs that are less at risk for automation.  

How We Will Help

These data points indicate the need for continued support for  local economic development policy and projects that add to the region’s economic diversity. One of our strategies under goal one of our workplan is focused on workforce development initiatives and includes a seven-part action item plan. Our Centralina Economic Development District and Centralina Workforce Development Board staff will work with education partners to looks for opportunities to reskill and upskill workers and proactively engage businesses to help them plan for AI and automation transitions. This includes utilizing our Centralina Career Pivot data portal to identify new career pathways for those seeking more stable employment. We will also support efforts to increase STEM degree graduation rates to build a workforce pipeline for high-wage, high skill jobs in our region. Finally, we will host regional best practices roundtables to exchange information and establish a talent working group to facilitate collaboration across the region’s workforce boards, community colleges and economic development organizations.  

Mobility  

Commuting patterns are changing across our region. Residents are increasingly working where they live and commuting less in favor of working from home. In fact, since 2010, 15% more workers are working remotely or at home full-time. From 2020-2021, remote work among NC residents grew over 20%, indicating that “work from home” is here to stay even past mandated pandemic safety guidelines. This trend underscores the importance of local placemaking and mobility connections for non-commute trips.  

Our workforce also continues to live and work in different counties with 49% of residents commuting to jobs outside of the county they live in. This trend signals a continued importance in investing in transportation at the regional level. At the local level, encouraging a mixture of housing and commercial development in communities will allow residents to live closer to where they work, which will have the added benefit of cutting down on commuter congestion. 

Additionally, the figure below indicates that there are fewer people driving alone to work compared to 2010 (11% decrease). According to regional vehicle registrations from 2019 – 2022, there has also been a 5% growth in non-vehicle households and a 75% growth in hybrid and electric vehicles (EV). These changes in commuter behavior are a positive sign for our region.  

How We Will Help

The data shows the increasing importance of Centralina’s work to expand to mobility choices and commuter connections so communities can support “live where you work” development. Centralina will continue planning and implementation efforts to expand mobility options as outlined in the CONNECT Beyond regional mobility plan and listed in strategy one under goal one of our workplan. This includes the development of a TDM (transportation demand management) program and other high-priority CONNECT Beyond items like the Seamless CONNECTIONS initiative and increasing cross-system coordination among human services transit providers. Centralina will also work with Centralina Clean Fuels Coalition to expand and coordinate local and regional charging networks to accommodate the growing rate of EV ownership. 

Cost of Living  

Affordable housing is defined as a household where the occupants plan to spend no more than 30% of their income on housing. Recent data shows that housing unaffordability is escalating in our region. Median home prices and rents have increased much faster than median household incomes. Over the last two years, median home prices increased by 54% and median apartment rents increased by 26%. Based on annual household income metrics, it’s estimated that 90% of homes for sale in our region are unaffordable for half of our region’s households as visualized in the graphic below.⁵ The disparity between median home and rent prices and median household incomes is especially prevalent for older adult homeowners in our region.   

How We Will Help

 Centralina will advise communities on how to support a diversity of housing types and augment the overall housing supply in our region to increase affordability. By seeking grant dollars to support projects ranging from housing preservation to housing innovation, Centralina is committing to bolstering affordable housing in our region for all. Moreover, Centralina will continue to support the facilitation of important community conversations and forums concerning community economic development and affordable housing through Centralina Learns and other community forums. Cost of living issues can further be addressed by increasing high wage jobs that boost household income and encouraging the development of affordable housing close to job centers. 

Environment & Health 

We see similar geographic patterns when it comes to our ability to bounce back from disasters and disruption. The red map below visualizes the Center for Disease Control’s social vulnerability index. The more intense the red color indicates communities that are vulnerable to disaster and may need support before, during or after events. The blue map below shows the Census Bureau’s community resilience estimates, which tracks the level of risk by measuring community capacity to respond and recover from external stresses imposed during a disaster. Generally, communities that experience less prosperity and worse health outcomes also rank as being more vulnerable and less resilient. The geographic distribution of wealth (and lack thereof) across our region has tangible impacts on a community’s ability – and the entire region’s ability – to respond to unforeseen challenges. This emphasizes the importance of proactive regional collaboration to improve resiliency and ensure we can recover from unexpected events and disruptions.  

How We Will Help

There are opportunities for regional collaboration in support of local goals to improve health outcomes and resiliency indicators. These goals are supported by the Centralina Regional Resilience Collaborative, an initiative that examines the viability and resiliency of local emergency management disaster recovery plans and economic resilience needs to ensure the region benefits from greater efficiency in recovery. We also plan to strengthen regional partnerships and foster collaboration on resilience, recovery and environmental stewardship initiatives in other ways, as noted in strategy two under goal one of our workplan. For example, the Centralina team will develop Digital Inclusion Plans in all nine counties to bolster broadband access across the region. Regional long-term recovery and digital inclusion planning will sustain resilient communities who will be prepared to respond to current and future natural and man-made disasters and economic shocks. Additionally, all 16 councils of governments received state funding to support their local units in successfully navigating financial reporting and compliance requirements of disaster recovery funds. Through these projects, Centralina is committed to supporting local governments in effectively managing and building capacity for local and regional disaster recovery, mitigation and resiliency efforts. 

Conclusion 

These data points exhibit a glimpse into some of the important regional trends that shape Centralina’s work. Through regular data analysis of issues pertaining to our region, Centralina aims to identify current issues, as well as trends on the horizon. This allows Centralina to forecast and prepare the region and our communities for imminent and future matters. To learn more about our forementioned goals and priorities in the coming year, view our FY2023-2024 workplan.  

Source Material 

1. 2010-2021 ACS 5-Year Estimates 
2. Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy 2023-2028 
3. MyFutureNC 
4. Census Housing and Transportation Data by CBS

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In North Carolina, both medical and recreational marijuana usage remain illegal, although some marijuana-related offenses have been decriminalized. As of April 2022, 72% of North Carolinians supported legalizing marijuana for medical purposes. The North Carolina General Assembly is currently considering the Compassionate Care Act, which would establish the statutory and organizational framework for legally using cannabis products to treat debilitating medical conditions. What would these new laws mean for NC local governments, and how can communities best prepare for the future of medical and recreational cannabis?

WHAT DOES THE COMPASSIONATE CARE ACT INCLUDE?

A similar version of the North Carolina Compassionate Care Act (SB 711) passed the North Carolina Senate in June 2022, but died in committee within the North Carolina House. This year’s bill (SB 3) was passed by the Senate in early March and is now being considered by the House once more. The current version of the bill would establish a medical marijuana program through the North Carolina Department of Health & Human Services. Under the current bill:

• Ten medical marijuana supplier licenses would be issued to companies to grow, process and sell medical cannabis.
• Patients with specific medical conditions, many of which are considered terminal, would be permitted to access and use medical cannabis.  
• Medical cannabis centers would not be permitted within 1,000 feet of a church, childcare facility, public or private school or institution of higher education.
• Medical cannabis patients would not be permitted to grow their own cannabis or smoke or vape any products purchased in a public place.

SB 3 has been criticized by some advocates for artificially limiting the number of businesses that would be permitted to supply medical marijuana and not doing enough to support efforts to decriminalize marijuana possession. On the other hand, SB 3 is considered to be the version of the bill most likely to pass the House, although other less restrictive bills have begun to filter their way into the session. One example is the Marijuana Justice and Reinvestment Act (SB 346), which was introduced in late March and would create a medical marijuana program with explicit patient protections, legalize recreational cannabis production and consumption, permit home growing of cannabis and expunge previous cannabis possession felony and misdemeanor charges.

APPROACHES TO MARIJUANA REGULATION & PERMITTING

From a regulatory perspective, the legalization of medical cannabis tends to create fewer and simpler considerations for regulation and permitting than the legalization of recreational cannabis. Once states have legalized one form of cannabis or the other, communities and counties tend to leverage one of two strategies for regulation: licensing of individual businesses and regulation through zoning. In states where only medical cannabis is legalized, regulation through zoning is prevalent, and this trend appears to be consistent with the NC Compassionate Care Act’s restrictions on where a medical cannabis center can be located. Additionally, many communities combine zoning regulations with business permitting. Although, for states that have only legalized medical cannabis, it is more common for licensing to occur through the state, while local governments tend to have a bit more jurisdiction over licensing and permitting if recreational use is legalized.

Communities that opt to regulate marijuana-related businesses through a business license process will benefit from being able to track trends related to business ownership and operation. Additionally, they may have an easier time ensuring businesses are in compliance with local and state regulations. That said, this approach requires extensive internal and external coordination and collaboration to ensure a smooth administrative process. Communities looking to regulate through zoning may have an easier time regulating marijuana through existing zoning terminology and land uses, including agriculture, retail, industrial manufacturing, food processing and so on. This approach, however, comes with it’s own considerations and caveats. For example, cannabis is often cultivated in warehouses and greenhouses rather than fields of row crops. Opting to include cannabis cultivation under an existing agricultural land use, as opposed to industrial uses, could have implications on the character of development in those areas.

WHAT’S NEXT FOR NC?

As the Compassionate Care Act and similar legislation progress through the NC General Assembly, communities must remain attuned to the potential local and statewide implications of medical, and someday recreational, cannabis legalization. Given the public’s widespread support for legalization of medical cannabis, communities should be prepared for legalization to occur sooner rather than later. Most importantly, communities should remain collaborative and proactive in their approaches to planning for and regulating cannabis-related businesses and land uses.

In our upcoming Centralina Learns session, Medical Marijuana: Planning for Legalization, we will hear from communities outside North Carolina about their experiences related to legalization, regulation and permitting. We’ll also hear from North Carolina experts on what the current legislation would mean for North Carolinians and their communities related to administration, land use, public education, law enforcement and equity. Register at the link above to register for the session and engage in dialogue on this “budding” issue!

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Access to affordable housing is essential to cultivating healthy, equitable and prosperous communities. The lasting impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, changes in the national economy, population growth and other factors have increased housing prices and rental rates and decreased the supply of housing units that are affordable for low- and middle-income households. Many communities have seen a rise in residents becoming “cost burdened,” meaning when more than 30 percent of one’s annual income is spent on housing-related expenses. As this transition has occurred, the traditional conversation around affordable housing – which typically centers on the needs of low-income earners – has expanded to include middle-income households as well. Housing that is affordable for mid-level earners has been steadily evaporating as housing prices have drastically increased over the last few years. Local governments looking to ensure the provision of affordable housing must consider critical factors such as cost, availability, adequacy and accessibility. A recent Centralina Learns session’s panel, which included representatives from The Childress Klein Center for Real Estate at UNC Charlotte, the Development Finance Initiative at the UNC School of Government and Centralina Regional Council, shared insights and identified opportunities for addressing the affordable housing crisis and the missing middle.

Panelists:

• Dr. Yongqiang Chu​ – Director, Childress Klein Center for Real Estate, UNC Charlotte
• Sarah Odio – Assistant Director, Development Finance Initiative​, UNC School of Government
• Christina Danis​ – Director, Community & Economic Development​, Centralina Regional Council ​

Here are some of the top takeaways from the session that planners need to know:

High Demand and High Prices

The Childress Klein Center for Real Estate at UNC Charlotte provides an annual State of Housing Report that examines Charlotte and the surrounding region. The 2022 report identified trends within the housing market that show the demand for housing units in the Charlotte region outweighs the supply of units in the region. The price for homes has also drastically increased, from a 14.2% increase in 2021 to a 54% increase in 2022. Rental costs have also increased at a commensurate rate, reaching record highs in average costs for the region. The Charlotte region has the highest growth rate in median house price in the state of North Carolina and the 4^th highest growth rate among peer cities at the national level. The report also shows that the housing market in the Charlotte region is seeing an addition of 80-100 new households daily, driving the demand for housing up and the number of available units down, thus creating an extreme need for more housing options across the Charlotte region.  

Redefining “Affordable Housing”

Since 2011, the Development Finance Initiative (DFI) within the UNC School of Government has partnered with local governments to attract private investment for transformative projects by providing finance and real estate development expertise with an overall aim of assisting local governments in achieving their goals. DFI’s recent analysis of Lincoln and Anson counties revealed that 21% and 32% of residents, respectively, were considered cost burdened. In these more rural counties, residents would need to make a minimum of $17.17 per hour working full time to avoid being cost burdened by the price of rent or mortgages for fair market housing in these regions. The term “affordable housing,” is beginning to cover more than low-income tax brackets. Some populations that may benefit from affordable housing include senior citizens, small or newer families and new residents of the region. Local governments can also seek to provide a variety of housing options that bridge the gap between low and median income needed to afford fair market housing. Reducing barriers to housing development, permitting costs and length of time for development review can begin to address the need for more housing units in the Charlotte region and provide more personalized housing options for local governments in the region. Local governments can also look at their zoning maps and regulations to enhance opportunities for housing variety in their communities.

Next Steps

One consideration when addressing housing needs is how communities can best utilize existing resources and opportunities. Local governments can identify overlaps in community priorities and best practices – such as repairing existing infrastructure, providing healthcare options, strengthening community safety measures, pursuing workforce development, revitalizing zoning and land use planning – to better serve the community’s needs and promote economic vitality. Centralina Regional Council offers support and resources for local governments to assist in addressing housing needs across the region, such as technical assistance, grant writing, land use plan revitalization and HUD support.

Please visit Centralina’s member portal to watch Centralina Learns: Affordable Housing & the Missing Middle in full! 

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