What Is the Thomas Jefferson Planning District Commission (TJPDC)?

Updated

The Thomas Jefferson Planning District Commission (TJPDC) is a regional planning agency based at tjpdc.org that provides "regional vision, collaborative leadership and professional service" to local governments in central Virginia. It assists member governments, partners, and stakeholders with technical and program services including grant application assistance, management services for program implementation, land use planning, and mapping. If you live in or work with the City of Charlottesville or the Counties of Albemarle, Fluvanna, Greene, Louisa, or Nelson, the TJPDC is the regional body coordinating planning across those localities.

Who it serves

The TJPDC's member localities are:

  • City of Charlottesville
  • County of Albemarle
  • County of Fluvanna
  • County of Greene
  • County of Louisa
  • County of Nelson

The Commission itself is locally appointed and has twelve members, at least 51% of whom are local elected officials. Commission meetings are open to the public and are held the first Thursday of each month at 7 pm at the TJPDC office.

What it does

The site organizes its work into four areas of involvement:

Transportation

  • Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO)
  • Rural transportation
  • RideShare
  • Bike and pedestrian planning
  • Regional transit planning
  • PATH

Community

  • Broadband
  • Legislative services
  • Economic development
  • Area planning
  • Land use and environmental planning committee
  • Blue Ridge Cigarette Tax Board

Housing

  • Regional Housing Partnership
  • Regional Housing Study
  • HOME Consortium
  • Housing Development Grant
  • Housing Preservation Grant

Environment

  • Chesapeake Bay (WIP) and rivers
  • Solid waste planning
  • Hazard mitigation planning
  • Rivanna River Basin Commission
  • Septic Assistance Program
  • Regional environmental coordination
  • Regional water supply planning
  • Intergovernmental reviews

Services it provides to localities and partners

According to the site, the TJPDC offers:

  • Grant application assistance
  • Management services for program implementation
  • Land use planning services
  • Mapping

These services are directed at member governments, partners, and stakeholders rather than individual residents seeking direct assistance.

How to engage with the TJPDC

  • Attend a Commission meeting — open to the public, first Thursday of each month at 7 pm at the TJPDC office.
  • Follow upcoming events — the site lists events such as the Regional Housing Partnership, the Charlottesville Albemarle Regional Transit Authority, MPO Tech Committee, and Commission meetings, with dates, times, and locations (in-person or virtual).
  • Track news and announcements — the site posts project updates, meeting announcements, and public notices, including public comment and hearing periods (for example, a Housing Preservation Grant pre-application Statement of Activities open for comment from August 18 to September 3, 2026).
  • Review projects — the "View Projects" section covers the initiatives the TJPDC is involved in.

Quick reference

Item Detail
Full name Thomas Jefferson Planning District Commission
Website tjpdc.org
Role Regional vision, collaborative leadership, professional service
Member localities Charlottesville; Albemarle, Fluvanna, Greene, Louisa, Nelson counties
Commission size Twelve members, at least 51% local elected officials
Public meetings First Thursday monthly, 7 pm, TJPDC office
Core service types Grant assistance, program management, land use planning, mapping

If your question is about a specific program — housing, transit, broadband, or environmental planning — the relevant section of the site is the fastest starting point, and the posted meeting and public comment notices tell you when input is being accepted.