A CEDS - or a Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy - is a strategy-driven plan for regional economic development. A CEDS is the result of a regionally-led planning process designed to build capacity, support local initiatives, and develop economic resiliency.

The report received this week details information on our regional population’s education, working preferences, as well as the defining industry features of our region, the skills needed in our workforce, and the major drivers of the economy in Central Vermont.

One of the legacies of Vermont’s industrial heritage has been the challenge of reusing abandoned sites. Developers find it easier to build on open pastures or green fields instead of purchasing an existing “brownfields” site in a town or village. Developers have tended to avoid the liabilities attached to contaminated sites and the high costs of cleanup.