MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Morgantown City Council has approved the purchase of two properties on Richwood Avenue to further road development.
An ordinance approving the purchase of the properties for $216,600 was approved unanimously by the council on its first reading, and they will be used to move road widening projects forward at the intersection of Richwood Avenue and Locust Avenue. The purchase will be supported with the use of Willey-Spruce-Brockway TIF funds and will not be used with any funds out of the city’s annual budget.
“These are currently two unoccupied houses adjacent to Locust Avenue in the Richwood area,” said Kay, Casto and Chaney Attorney representing the City of Morgantown, Ryan Simonton. “The city proposes to purchase those properties with tax-increment financing funds in the Willey-Spruce-Brockway district for permitted project purposes.”
The plan for the properties is to clear space so road development can move forward for the Richwood Development Project. The project includes the redevelopment of older, unused properties as part of a 55- to 58-property rezoning to allow mixed-use development in that neighborhood. The road widening project around Richwood Avenue will be joined by an expansive sidewalk plan to go along with mixed-use rezoning.
“The city plans to use those for roadway widening, or realignment consistent with redevelopment plans in the area,” Simonton said.
Pending any sudden changes to the agreement, the purchase will be up for full approval when council meets in December. If the purchase is fully approved, then a major step in the Richwood Development Plan will move forward ahead of a formal discussion schedule with the council to move forward with a large-scale redevelopment.
“The corner where Richwood Avenue approaches Locust Avenue, it’s a very difficult angle, and those properties are near that intersection,” said Simonton.
Discussions to move the Richwood Development Plan to the Morgantown City Council agenda are scheduled for the monthly committee of the whole on November 28.