FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Over $26 Million Invested in Downtown Morgantown Over the Past Five Years

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. - High Street is known as the heart of Morgantown’s downtown historic district. Known for its good food, unique businesses, vibrant nightlife, and historic nineteenth century architecture, the downtown area is a place of great pride for residents and visitors alike. The City of Morgantown is working with community partners such as Main Street Morgantown and the Morgantown Area Partnership to help spur investment in the downtown and ensure it has a bright future. Thanks to those efforts, downtown Morgantown is undergoing a revitalization with multiple large scale investments taking place over the past several years with more on the horizon.

Investing in Downtown Morgantown

In the last five years, over $26 million was invested to enhance buildings in the downtown area, with nearly $18 million of those funds coming from two large projects: the revitalization of Hotel Morgan and the construction of High Street Commons.

“Revitalizing Downtown Morgantown is vital to our community’s growth and quality of life,” said Morgantown City Manager Kim Haws. “Investing in local businesses is a great way to ensure that owners keep their businesses in Morgantown and that the community members have new experiences aside from your typical chain-businesses.”

Built in 1925, the 81-room, 2-suite Hotel Morgan is Morgantown’s premier boutique luxury hotel and a favorite among Morgantown travelers. In 2019, the Hotel Morgan was purchased by the Thrash Group of Mississippi for $2.5 million. The Thrash Group invested roughly $7.9 million into rewiring the building, refurbishing original woodwork, replacing outdated furniture, and improving the décor of the hotel’s rooms and suites.

A picture of the Hotel Morgan in downtown Morgantown.

Also in 2019, the SunCap Property Group of North Carolina purchased 461 High Street. SunCap demolished the existing building and built the High Street Commons, a three-story mixed retail and residential building. Additionally, the group purchased 485 and 469 High Street and restored the residential living areas in the upper two stories of each building. Overall, the SunCap group invested $10.6 million into the construction of the High Street Commons and the restoration of 485 and 469 High Street.

Downtown revitalization and investment efforts are taking place outside of High Street as well. Incentives such as the federal Opportunity Zone have rallied investors to the downtown area, including Pittsburgh-based developer Hardy World who began construction at its 1050 University Avenue location called The Deck in September 2021. The new building will be a multi-level building with retail and office space.

In 2018, Governor Jim Justice announced that downtown Morgantown would be designated as an official “Opportunity Zone”. The Opportunity Zone program seeks to provide incentives for a broad array of investors to pool and deploy their resources in Opportunity Zones. Hardy World plans to take advantage of the Opportunity Zone incentive as it begins construction on its two-story, 15,000 square-foot mixed use building. Overall investment into The Deck location is estimated to run to roughly $5 million.

Renderings of The Deck building being constructed on University Avenue.

“Continuing investment in Downtown Morgantown is critical to our ongoing growth throughout Monongalia County as it is the heart of the community,” said Russ Rogerson, president and CEO of the Morgantown Area Partnership. “The Morgantown Area Partnership is proud to be working with the City of Morgantown and Mainstreet Morgantown to further the economic vitality of Morgantown and Monongalia County.”

Traveling just across University Avenue from Hardy World’s property, the Wharf District has also seen large scale improvements. In 2020, the city completed major renovations to Hazel Ruby McQuain Park and the Walnut Street Landing totaling $4.3 million. Improvements to the park include an expansion of the amphitheater stage and seating, a sunshade over the seating area, renovations to the historic depot, a new green room, upgraded restroom facilities, and added security features. Upgrades during the project also included the addition of a new parking area and kayak launch and storage area at the Walnut Street Landing. Funding for this project was provided through a generous grant from the Hazel Ruby McQuain Charitable Trust. The city plans to continue to enhance the park to make Ruby Amphitheater one of the best outdoor live performance venues in the area. The city is preparing a robust programming schedule for the 2022 Spring/Summer outdoor event season at Ruby Amphitheater.

Downtown Beautification

The City of Morgantown and Main Street Morgantown are assisting businesses and property owners with improving the look of downtown buildings through the Morgantown Mural Program and the Façade Improvement Program.

The Morgantown Mural Program is meant to offer the community a sense of pride and provide added beauty to the downtown area. Since the creation of the program, three building murals and six utility box murals were placed across Downtown Morgantown, and more are being planned for 2022. The most recent utility box mural project was funded in part by an Organizational Arts Grant from Your Community Foundation, City of Morgantown, Monongalia County Commission, and the Douglas H. Tanner Memorial Fund for the Arts.

The Façade Improvement Program, which began in 2018, allows building owners to apply for a grant that functions as a 50/50 deferred loan that will cover one-half of project costs between $2,000 and $10,000. The only requirement to apply is that the property be within Main Street Morgantown districts and that the project improve the façade of the building. So far, the Façade Improvement Program has disbursed over $65,918 to eligible applicants with a reported impact of $244,043.

Other improvements are also happening throughout Downtown Morgantown such as a regular power washing of the streets by the Engineering and Public Works Department, the creation of the Spruce Street pocket park, and the first outdoor dining pedlet was installed at Gibbie’s Pub & Eatery on High Street.

A picture of a pedlet installed in front of Gibbie's Pub & Eatery in downtown Morgantown.

ARP Funds and Future Plans for Development

The City of Morgantown is set to receive $11,243,509 in American Rescue Plan funds over the next two years. The city has received the first of two installments in the amount of $5,621,754.50. A second installment is anticipated in the same amount in the Spring/Summer of 2022. Approximately $1.1 million of the first installment is being directed towards projects in the downtown business district.

One of those projects is the Morgantown City Ambassador Pilot Program, which allocates $200,000 to provide services that include patrolling the Downtown and riverfront districts, removing litter and graffiti, providing safety escorts, motor vehicle assistance, security patrols, and greeting and assisting people. The program is slated to begin in 2022 and is modeled after successful ambassador programs in other cities such as Columbus, Ohio.

Other projects which are intended to have a direct impact on downtown businesses are the Small Business Assistance Grants Program and an enhanced Façade Improvement Program. The city has allocated $500,000 of its initial ARP funds to provide grants of up to $10,000 each to small existing and new business owners to help meet their most immediate needs leveraging public-private partnerships. Grants for new businesses will also include support services in cooperation with the Small Business Administration. This program is planned to begin in early 2022. The first iteration of the Façade Improvement Program was so successful that the city is allocating $200,000 of ARP funds to continue the program. The new and enhanced program will allow grants up to $20,000, with a 30 percent match, to improve building facades and interior improvements to enhance the appearance and vibrancy of the business.

The city is also working with local partners to invest in Downtown Morgantown’s neighborhood connections, which are vital to its success. One of these important connectors is Richwood Avenue – connecting the Woodburn neighborhood to downtown Morgantown. At the end of 2020, Morgantown City Council approved a collaboration agreement between the Monongalia County Development Authority, the Monongalia County Commission and West Virginia University to purchase and redevelop 9.5 continuous acres of property along Richwood Avenue in the Woodburn area. The land will serve as a base for multiple types of housing including market rate housing, student housing, and workforce housing. Additionally, the land will allow for connectivity into Whitmore Park as well as improved connectivity for both pedestrian and vehicular traffic into the downtown area and the WVU campus. The project is still in the beginning stages and planning for the project is anticipated to be complete in the coming months.

“This is really about enhancing our community and its quality of life,” said Haws. “Morgantown has a bright future on the horizon because of the plans and ideas that are coming to life for the continued growth and development of our downtown.”

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