Blight Story Archives - West Virginia Public Broadcasting

Two W.Va. Mayors Looking to Demolish Dilapidated Properties

Officials in two northern West Virginia cities are looking to demolish dilapidated properties in their communities.

The State Journal reports New Cumberland Mayor Linda McNeil and Wellsburg Mayor Sue Simonetti are teaming up with their local development group to get rid of their towns’ eyesores.

McNeil and Simonetti say they chose dilapidated structures in high-visibility areas specifically to try to reshape public perceptions about their towns.

McNeil says two adjoining buildings on the city’s main thoroughfare will be replaced with a small park.

Simonetti says Wellsburg is in need of a facelift since the community is old and there are a lot of rundown properties.

She says they’ve targeted three buildings based on their high visibility and potential for redevelopment. One has already been razed.

Anonymous $100K Donation to Help Demolish Buildings

An anonymous donor has given $100,000 to the city of Huntington in order to assist with the demolition of blighted buildings.

Huntington Mayor Steve Williams announced during his State of the City address Tuesday that the donation will be matched with funds from the city’s capital budget.

Williams says the Unsafe Building Commission has identified 250 structures that need to be torn down and could soon add 500 more buildings on that list. He says the cost to demolish the buildings could be around $2.5 million.

An ordinance has also been adopted to register vacant buildings. If a building is vacant for 30 days, property owners will have to notify the city. If that property remains vacant for a year, the owner will be issued fees in order to cover city services.

In the Coalfields, Dilapidated Sites Make Way for Renewal

A crew from Coalfield Development Corp. that’s remodeling a former warehouse in Williamson, West Virginia, is part of a broad effort to tackle empty or unkempt buildings in Appalachia.

Rural blight is a legacy of the coal industry’s boom-and-bust nature in many communities in West Virginia and its neighbors.

Earlier this year, West Virginia University began a project to help rehabbers navigate the legal web surrounding older properties. Last year marked the launch of the statewide BAD buildings project which helps towns with dilapidated properties.

While big cities have fought blight for years, experts say rural areas have lagged in creating systematic approaches. In recent years, anti-blight programs have sprung up around Appalachia.