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Private Investment Complementing Wheeling Projects

By ERIC AYRES

WHEELING — As major construction projects continue to unfold in downtown Wheeling, officials are making note of a wave of improvement projects being spearheaded by private investors, as well.

Tens of millions of dollars worth of public projects by both the city of Wheeling and the state of West Virginia are currently underway along the city’s main traffic arteries. With the Interstate 70 bridge replacement project ongoing and the forthcoming Downtown Streetscape Project promising to keep the Friendly City dotted in orange barrels for the next two years, Wheeling city officials this week noted that an unprecedented amount of work is presently unfolding in the heart of town.

“We have a lot of public work which is taking place across the city, and I think obviously when you add that to what’s being undertaken by the state with the I-70 bridges project, we’re seeing a once-in-a-generation public investment across the city,” Wheeling Mayor Glenn Elliott. “But it occurred to me that there is also a lot of private investment taking place as well. I’ve lived downtown for about seven years now at 13th and Market streets, and if you look 360 degrees around my building, there is active work going on.”

The mayor said in addition to the ongoing water line replacement work happening along Main and Market streets downtown and the looming sewer work scheduled to follow, a myriad of privately owned buildings are also under construction.

A historic rehabilitation project is taking place at 1306 Market St., and directly behind it on Chapline Street, First Presbyterian Church — downtown’s oldest building — is undergoing a major masonry rehabilitation project.

Also on Market Street, work is taking place at the iconic Victoria Theater, which is getting a new roof. Next door to the Victoria, the McClure Hotel is under the new ownership of Roxby Development, and facade improvements are planned there, according to the mayor. In the next block north, crews from Coon Restoration are actively working on the major renovation of the Wheeling-Pittsburgh Steel building — the city’s tallest building — which is being transformed into the new Historic Wheeling-Pitt Lofts. One block to the east, work on the new Ohio Valley Community Federal Credit Union building — the first new construction to take place downtown from the ground up since the new Health Plan of the Upper Ohio Valley headquarters was built — is underway on Chapline Street. Just down the street from there, The Fort Henry Club building has received a major investment with interior and exterior improvements, including fresh upgrades to its historic pillared facade.

“That’s just in basically a two-block radius downtown. If you go further, you can’t miss the new sign on The Bridge Tavern, which is just remarkable when you enter the downtown from I-70,” Elliott said, noting that the eye-catching, guitar-shaped sign brings a welcomed, modern splash to a historic corner of the city’s main gateway.

“There’s a lot of private investment taking place in this community,” the mayor said. “We hear a lot about what the city’s doing and what the state’s doing, but I really want to commend all of the private property owners for making these critical investments to our community.”

Elliott said all of this investment will bring about great returns in years ahead.

“I think we’re going to look back at this period in five or 10 years, and really be amazed at the things that are taking place right now,” the mayor said.

The city has helped incentivize some private investment — particularly when it comes to facade renovations. In recent months, city council took action to expand its popular Downtown Facade Improvement program into other areas of the city. Earlier this month, council approved resolutions for six new facade grants — matching funds provided by the city for property owners investing into eligible rehabilitation projects.

Wheeling Vice Mayor Chad Thalman said it has been great to see private property owners taking advantage of the funds available through this successful program, which creates a win-win situation for building owners, their neighbors and the city as a whole.

“Since the facade program started in our Central Business District several years ago, we have seen numerous buildings revitalized,” Thalman said. “We’re happy to expand this program to every neighborhood in the city, and we look forward to the building improvements that will be made.”

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