MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — A groundbreaking development located in the City of Morgantown is starting to take shape.
The new development located along Richwood Avenue, being billed as the East End Village, is moving forward as both the demolition and the preliminary design phases for the 10-acre projects are close to being completed. Morgantown Area Partnership President and CEO Russ Rogerson offered an update on WAJR’s Talk of the Town Wednesday, where he stated the over $100 million investment involving a number of public entities is on track to have construction begin on new properties before the end of the year.
“We’re closer today than ever, we’re almost 100 percent complete with the demolition of 58 structures on that property,” said Rogerson. “That really gives the developer an opportunity to talk to people and say, I can deliver you a product on a known date and time and price,” he said.
The East End Village development will consist of the construction of mixed-use development properties that will take over the area where 58 old houses formerly stood along Richwood Avenue. The new properties are projected to include over 300 market-rate apartments and other housing options (condos, townhomes) that will sit over retail suites and be interspersed with standalone components such as a grocery store, a hotel, and other amenities, all located a short walk from downtown Morgantown. For developers involved in the project, the potential of the East End Village has garnered potential investments from across the country.
“We have a national hotel brand that’s really serious and ready to go,” said Metro Property Management developer Dave Biafora, who joined Rogerson to discuss the potential businesses that could enter East End Village. “We’re going to have various restaurant and retail-type businesses, along with the upscale amenities that we want to have in here with parking, grocery, and living (spaces),” he said.
Work on the design of East End Village has been taking place over the past several months with the help of Omni Group Associates Architects and Biafora. The main vision of the project is to develop new structures that can provide small, neighborhood-type retail that can also support an increase in housing while offering additional activity space. While the final design for the groundbreaking development has not been released, there’s an expectation that the public will see what developers have planned in the coming months.
“The vision has adjusted a little bit, but this redevelopment, with the kind of money, and the kind of businesses, and the kind of living, and everything that’s in there, is new for our state,” said Biafora. “And it’s seen in other states,” he said.
The project itself has been supported with the help of financial contributions from the Monongalia County Development Authority (who purchased the just over ten acres of property from the Giuliani family for $11.8 million), the City of Morgantown, Monongalia County, and West Virginia University. Representatives with Omni Associates Architects, along with Biafora and Rogerson, have each expressed positive feedback related to the level of involvement from local entities as part of the East End Village development as well as the full-fledged support to make it happen.
“Everybody from the City of Morgantown to the Monongalia County Commission, the Monongalia County Development Authority, and a proven commodity in your developer (Biafora) has a vision and is able to execute that vision,” said Omni Associates Architects project manager Jay Rogers.
The hope for those involved in the East End Village development is that buildings will start to see some level of construction by the end of 2025. Demolition of the remaining now-vacant homes is expected to be completed by the end of the spring, with final designs expected to be approved around the same time or a couple of months afterward. With the potential $200 million impact on the local economy and nationally recognized businesses willing to move in, the hope is to get construction started as soon as possible.
“Dave and his team have developed a great vision for looking and feeling and fitting the community,” said Rogerson. “And just a fresh look on the whole downtown campus, downtown city neighborhood area,” he said.
The East End Village is projected to be completed within the next 3-5 years.