MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – After three years of effort, one of the older sections of Morgantown is close to a complete makeover and upgrade. The Planning Commission has recommended a key zoning change for the 10.5-acre Richwood redevelopment project.
Next, the zoning change must be adopted by Morgantown City Council before redevelopment can begin.
The recommendation would merge the 55 to 58 properties into one parcel and rezone the area to a B-1 category, neighborhood business. The new classification will allow mixed use, but nothing strictly residential. Structures would be limited in height and have businesses on the lower floor, with residential opportunities above within walking distance of downtown.
President and CEO of the Morgantown Area Partnership, Russ Rogerson, said the project will address an aging area of the city while retaining the unique characteristics of the neighborhood.
“You have to be attractive in a place where younger folks in the workforce want to come, live, work, and play,” Rogerson said. “So, creating that environment is critical for every community, and this is one that we can do in the core center of our community.”
For the last three years, the Mon County Development Authority, Morgantown Area Partnership, West Virginia University, Morgantown, and Monongalia County have been working with developers and neighborhoods to carefully review options. Rogerson said the series of meetings included sessions with the Woodburn Community and Morgantown officials to bring the best ideas from other redevelopment efforts to enhance Morgantown, not change it.
“We’re talking to all of our partners and looking for the best way to redevelop that and add great value while also really fitting the community’s needs and feel,” Rogerson said.
The redevelopment includes a sidewalk plan that will allow residents to access other amenities or events happening within walking distance in the city. Rogerson called the area an “adult lifestyle center” that would also be attractive to senior citizens. The four-story building design limit makes it possible the area could be a net housing gain.
“It will make it much more connected to that area, but also to the downtown and rail-trail,” Rogerson said. “It will really be an integrated node of services and livability that all can take advantage of.”
During the Morgantown City Council Committee of the Whole meeting on November 28, members will vote to move the issue to the regular meeting agenda for December 5 for the first reading. On January 16, the council could hold a public hearing and vote to adopt the change, which would release developers to begin work.
“They’ll be able to do more detailed planning and designing for how that area will be developed,” Rogerson said. “What kind of uses, signing contracts, building structures, and really moving forward with seeing the development come to fruition.”
Upgrading the area is expected to enhance downtown, encourage rail-trail improvements, bolster the tax base for the city and county, and have a positive impact on property values nearby. The project could also be a guide for redevelopment projects in the future.
“We can do this redevelopment and not lose who we are; we can do this redevelopment and still be Morgantown,” Rogerson said. “These redevelopments also enhance the university and their efforts to attract and retain students.”
By the end of this year, the city could begin demolition of existing structures using $700,000 in available funds from the Willey, Spruce, and Brockway TIF districts.
If the zoning change is adopted by city council, Rogerson said some new projects could be announced in July 2024.