MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Residents will soon see the first steps of transformation on the 10 acres of land purchased from the family of James Giuliani by the Monongalia County Development Authority (MCDA), part of the Morgantown Area Partnership (MAP), in 2020 for $11.8 million.
On WAJR’s “Talk of the Town,” MAP President and CEO Russ Rogerson said since the purchase, a partnership including the city of Morgantown, West Virginia University (WVU), the Monongalia County Commission, and MAP have been watching trends and planning a project that will highlight downtown.
“The student housing model is shifting, and those structures are getting older,” Rogerson said. “We have an opportunity to take a rather large tract of land in an urban setting and repurpose it to continue to add value to the community.”
Rogerson referred to the network of trails and sidewalks in the area as the “super highway” for pedestrians and bicycles and said any plan will incorporate it. The city is currently reviewing the planned use development documents for the area within the Willey, Spruce, and Brockway TIF District established in 2014.
The project also includes a complete realignment of the intersection of Richwood Avenue and Willey Street.
“We really want to make sure whatever we do is connected to that—connected to Whitmore Park, connected to downtown, and connected to the university—while still providing that new-look gateway to get out to the Mile and beyond,” Rogerson said.
Until this year, some of the established 53 structures were still being rented to students, but that will change as the plan is executed. Rogerson said they plan to target state and federal development grants to fund demolition and site preparation.
“We’re not planning to rent any units next school year,” Rogerson said. “That would allow us the freedom and flexibility to be able to take structures down as long as we have the funding to do so and the approvals.”
As structures do come down, the site will be evaluated to make sure the water, gas, and electric infrastructure is prepared to support the proposed development. Although not specified, the development will be a mixed residential, student residential, and commercial development.
“Take the current structures down so we will be able to reimagine what will go there and how the construction process will proceed,” Rogerson said.
Once the structures are razed and utilities are verified or improved, Rogerson expects developers to show a great deal of interest.
“That will allow us to speed up the process, which then will also attract private development because there will be some assurances and a clearer idea of what it will cost and what the timeframe will be.”