Federal Requirements:

To request designation as an Economic Development Districts (EDD), an applicant must have an EDA-approved CEDS and at least one geographical area within the designated service boundaries that meets EDA’s regional distress criteria as set out in 13 CFR § 301.3(a). EDDs are designed to represent multi-county areas so entities that request designation should be able to serve and represent the entire geographic area of the region. The requirements set out in 13 CFR parts 303 and 304 must be met and all necessary documentation outlined.

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Distress Criteria:

(a) Part 305 (Public Works and Economic Development Investments) and part 307 (Economic Adjustment Assistance Investments).

(1) Except as otherwise provided by this paragraph (a), for a Project to be eligible for Investment Assistance under parts 305 or 307 of this chapter, the Project must be located in a Region that, on the date EDA receives an application for Investment Assistance, is subject to one or more of the following economic distress criteria:

(i) An unemployment rate that is, for the most recent 24-month period for which data are available, at least one percentage point greater than the national average unemployment rate;

(ii) Per capita income that is, for the most recent period for which data are available, 80 percent or less of the national average per capita income; or

(iii) A Special Need, as determined by EDA.

Once the appropriate documents are compiled, they must be coupled with a regional office-developed summary of the requested designation, including the name of the organization requesting the designation, and rationale for the regional office’s recommendation and include this in the EDD designation package (for regional and HQ reviews). The summary must be completed based on a thorough review of the designation request. For more information about EDD designation requirements, contact your regional office.

Geographic Area of the Zone:

The Zone is made up of the forty-four towns connected within the two county boundary of the Windham Regional Commission and the Bennington Regional Commission.

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In Vermont, Regional Planning Commissions are political subdivisions of the State created by their member municipalities (24 VSA §4341).  RPCs provide technical assistance to municipalities, and since Vermont does not have county governments, RPCs act as a link between municipal affairs and state government. RPCs work in fields that directly and indirectly affect the public at large: land use, transportation, housing, economic development, environmental quality, and more. [VAPDA.org]

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Zone Municipalities:

Arlington, Athens, Bennington, Brattleboro, Brookline, Dorset, Dover, Dummerston, Glastonbury, Guilford, Grafton, Halifax, Jamaica, Landgrove, Londonderry, Manchester, Manchester Village, Marlboro, Newfane, North Bennington, Peru, Putney, Pownal, Readsboro, Rockingham, Rupert, Sandgate, Searsburg, Shafsbury, Somerset, Stratton, Sunderland, Stamford, Sunderland, Townsend, Vernon, Wardsboro, Westminster, Weston, Whitingham, Wilmington, Winhall, Windham, Woodford