Photo by Mark Plummer/FlickrCC
Nine communities in West Virginia will receive expert help addressing the issue of abandoned and dilapidated buildings in their main streets, business districts and neighborhoods courtesy of the Northern WV Brownfields Assistance Center at West Virginia University.
The communities of Moundsville, Parsons, Hamlin, Thomas, Whitesville, Terra Alta, Glenville, Charleston (West Side Main Street) and Morgantown will receive technical assistance grants, valued at $10,000 each, providing technical assistance and expertise to identify, research, and prioritize their abandoned buildings and create redevelopment plans to turn problem properties into community resources.
The grants are part of the Brownfield Assistance Center’s BAD (Brownfields, Abandoned, Dilapidated) Buildings Program.
According to Luke Elser, BAD Buildings Program Manager at WVU, each community will now examine a variety of potential solutions and determine which ones will actually work in their setting.
“All of the work will be done in collaboration between local elected officials and community volunteers – everyone will have a voice at the table because everyone is being impacted by these abandoned and dilapidated properties,” Elser says.
Funding for the BAD Buildings Program is being provided by the Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation through the West Virginia University Foundation.
For more information about the BAD Buildings Program or the Northern WV Brownfield Assistance Center, visit www.wvbrownfields.org, or contact Luke Elser, Northern WV Brownfields Assistance Center, 304-293-6990, luke.elser@mail.wvu.edu.
Baltimore did it by condemning the buildings, claiming immenent domain, selling them for a dollar to people who wanted to fix them up. Stipulations were that they had to invest so much money in renovations and stay there for 2 years…
Or, you could incentivize contractors by condemning the buildings, with a set timeline to fix them, or turn them over to the county. A contractor could do the renovations/demo on the property, place a mechanics lien with first right of refusal (negotiated by the county) when the lien comes to maturity, they would own the property and the property taxes from then on… it’s a win win for neglectful owners and a revenue generator for municipalities.
Also, I would talk to Historic Landmarks Commission in each town identified. They have grants associated with renovating facilities to keep it a historical landmark.
Just a thought!
Joe C.