NIRPC Economic Development District (EDD)
Economic Development District Designation Press Release
NIRPC has been designated by the U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA), a bureau of the U.S. Department of Commerce , as an Economic Development District (EDD), a new status that will make the counties of Lake, Porter, and LaPorte in Northwest Indiana eligible to receive certain types of federal funding.
NIRPC’s designation as an EDD was one of the collective goals within the newly-released strategic plan for regional economic development, Ignite the Region: A Regional Strategy for Economic Transformation, spearheaded by the Northwest Indiana Forum in collaboration with multiple regional partners throughout the Region, to “establish an economic development district (EDD) to serve as a facilitator of regional initiatives and a conduit for additional funding sources in Lake, Porter, and LaPorte Counties.” The strategic plan encouraged “regional partners [to] support and assist NIRPC in its efforts to receive EDD designation.”
The EDD designation is consistent with NIRPC’s charge within its state enabling legislation to “institute and maintain a comprehensive planning and programming process for: (1) transportation, (2) economic development, and (3) environmental policy, and provide a coordinative management process” for Lake, Porter, and LaPorte counties. (Indiana Code 36-7-7.6)
One of the functions of a federally-designated an Economic Development District (EDD) is the maintenance and implementation of the Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS) plan. The NIRPC Board of Commissioners will function as the EDD Governing Board.