The Middle Peninsula Planning District Commission has begun an initiative to improve regional economic development.

MPPDC’s economic planner Harrison P. Bresee III said that seven committees have begun meeting to help draft a Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy, or CEDS. The project is designed to analyze the region’s economy and serve as a guide for establishing regional goals and objectives, he said.

After the committees gather information about their designated topic areas for several months, they will present their information to a MPPDC EDA steering committee for formulation into a priorities list of economic development projects for the region.

The committees, which began meeting in March, include government, retail, health care, accommodations/food service, manufacturing, construction and natural resources. County boards of supervisors have made appointments from the business community and others, Bresee said.

Once the plan is drafted and accepted b...