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Wheeling Housing Committee Seeks Input on Need

Photo by Alec Berry The Flatiron Building, located at Main and South streets in downtown Wheeling, is undergoing continued renovations for planned apartment units.

WHEELING — As it seeks to combat a perceived shortage of affordable housing in Wheeling, the city’s Workforce Housing Committee is asking residents about their housing needs and wants.

A survey released this week inquires about deciding factors which influence the purchase or lease of a home; whether there’s interest in condominiums; and a buyer’s ideal price and location.

It reflects some of what the group has discussed since initially meeting in August, after Mayor Glenn Elliott appointed the committee to analyze the local market and recommend ways to spur development.

The survey is available online at surveymonkey.com/r/wheelinghousing.

Susan Hagan, co-chair of the committee, hopes residents will exercise their opinions through the survey, so the committee has a broad pool of feedback on which to base its final recommendations. The committee will meet until the end of January, and then it will file a report with Wheeling City Council.

As it stands, Hagan said there’s general interest from the committee to offer incentives which would enable housing developers to build market-rate properties. She referenced a step taken in Nashville, where city government offers grants with the mandate that developers affordably price a selection of apartment or condo units in a large building, while a majority generate higher revenues.

Hagan said she admires developer incentives because they encourage builders to think somewhat differently, and they push forward projects which may not otherwise occur.

The committee also met with Director of Economic and Community Development Nancy Prager and Colton Wise, a city building code official, this week. Hagan said the conversation centered on how the city could do more to fine property owners for code violations.

The discussion also dealt with poor communication between builders and the city. Hagan said builders often complete a project and later discover, upon inspection, they violated a code and must adjust unexpectedly. Hagan said another committee suggestion may be a booklet published for the inspection division, which could be distributed to developers to guide them more effectively through the city’s process.

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