Ohio's Appalachian Local Development Districts

Four of OARC's member agencies serve as Local Development Districts (LDD) for 32 of Ohio's Applachian counties. Ohio's Appalachian counties cover an area larger than Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island combined; they make up 17% of Ohio's population and cover 36% of Ohio's geography.

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Download the 2011 Impact Report

Download the 2010 Impact Report

Serving the Appalachian Region of Ohio

Ohio's Local Development Districts serve 32 counties in the Appalachian area of the state. The Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) is a federal-state partnership that works with the people of Appalachia to create opportunities for self-sustaining economic development and improved quality of life.

The LDDs are responsible for administering the ARC grant program across the region.  The program goals are to:

• increase job opportunities and per capita income;
• increase capacity to compete in a global economy;
• improve and develop infrastructure;
• develop the Appalachian highway system.

By creating or retaining jobs, providing access to education or training, increasing availability to water and  sanitary sewer services as well as maintaining and upgrading bridges and roads, the projects administered by  LDDs build the regions' infrastructure for future growth.

• In 2011, Ohio’s LDDs administered 51 ARC projects with $47,935,963 in total project costs which resulted in 1,052 new jobs and another 2,295 jobs retained in the region. Funding was provided by Federal ARC and the Governors Office of Appalachia.
  
• In 2010, the LDDs administered 46 ARC projects with $75,446,795 in total project costs which resulted in 693 new jobs and another 5,876 jobs retained in the region. Funding was provided by Federal ARC and the Governors Office of Appalachia. 

Economic Development Administration Planning

Ohio's Local Development Districts also serve the regions as an Economic Development District (EDDs) for the U.S. Department of Commerce Economic Development Administration.

The districts prepare a Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS) — a local planning process designed to guide the economic growth of an area. It provides a mechanism for coordinating the efforts of individuals, organizations, local governments, and private industry concerned with economic and community development. It is the gateway for accessing EDA funding for infrastructure investments.

The CEDS process works to:

• create and retain jobs;
• foster more stable and diversified economies; and
• improve living conditions.

As published in the FY 2009 Impact Report, Ohio's four LDDs participated in 291 economic development projects involving over $250 million in funding and resulting in over 16,000 jobs being created or retained.

Ohio's LDDs are efficient and effective securing more than $88 in direct project dollars for every one dollar spent on project administration.