EPA Brownfields Assessment Grant
In 2020, the Northern Brownfields Assistance Center (NBAC) received an EPA Brownfields Assessment grant. The NBAC community-wide assessment program is focused on attracting new business, lodging, and recreational opportunities to West Virginia’s rural riverfront main streets through the redevelopment of industrial legacy sites. Activating these buildings into a mix of commercial and lodging spaces will increase entrepreneurship activity on rural main streets across Downtown Appalachia.
The primary focus area for the grant is the riverfront downtown district in Grafton in Taylor County, WV. Grant funds can and may be used to assess properties throughout NBAC’s legislatively designated 33 counties in northern West Virginia, with a specific focus on other riverfront downtown districts.
Eligible activities under the program include:
- Phase I & II Environmental Site Assessments (ESAs)
- Remedial Action Work Plan (including Cost Estimating, Asbestos Project Design)
- Site Specific Feasibility Study
- Market Analysis – for Downtown Retail/Mixed/Outdoor Recreation
- Site Disposition Study
- Site Reuse Planning/Concept Drawings
- other site planning activities.
Project Highlights
Tygart Hotel, Elkins, WV
The Tygart Hotel in Elkins, WV was acquired by Woodlands Development and Lending Group in 2018 with plans to restore the property into a boutique hotel and restaurant. The renovated hotel and restaurant have the potential for 56 rooms, as well as a dining room, and will primarily serve recreational visitors to the region’s many attractions. The NBAC Brownfield Assessment Grant funded full building environmental sampling and analysis to inform the project demolition and renovation planning.
Columbia Club Building, Weston, WV
The former Columbia Club building in Weston, WV is in the process of being renovated into a community center after sustaining a significant amount of damage due to years of vacancy. The project hopes to preserve a historic community site through the Commission on the Arts Cultural Facilities and Capital Resources Grant, while also improving environmental and public health standards through the NBAC Brownfield Assessment Grant funding which will assess potential contamination.
Completed Project Site Activities
| Project Site | Status | Activities Completed |
|---|---|---|
| 102 Buffalo Street, Mannington (Arcadian Properties) | Complete | Phase I Environmental Assessment Supplemental Assessment |
| 123 Buffalo Street, Mannington (Malone Property) | Complete | Phase I Environmental Assessment Supplemental Assessment |
| 107 Market Street, Mannington (Mannington Salon) | Complete | Phase I Environmental Assessment Supplemental Assessment |
| 193 Main Street, Parsons (Main Street Apartments) | Complete | Phase I Environmental Assessment Supplemental Assessment |
| 164 Court Street, Weston (Columbia Club) | Complete | Phase I Environmental Assessment Supplemental Assessment |
| 206-208 Davis Avenue, Elkins (Tygart Hotel) | Complete | Phase I Environmental Assessment Supplemental Assessment |
| 2 West Main Street, Grafton (Cohen Building) | Complete | Phase I Environmental Assessment Supplemental Assessment |
| 107 W Main St, Grafton (Joliffe Building) | In Progress | Engineering Analysis |
| 619 14th Street West, Huntington (Gas Station) | In Progress | Phase I Environmental Assessment |
| Cowen B&O Pond, Adjacent to Cowen | In Progress | Phase I Environmental Assessment |
| 14 E Main St, Grafton (Manos Theatre) | In Progress | Phase I Environmental Assessment Supplemental Assessment |
Tourism Assessment – Grafton, WV and Taylor County
Since 2020, Grafton, Taylor County, West Virginia, has been the focus of the All Aboard Brownfields Redevelopment Initiative led by the Northern Brownfields Assistance Center (NBAC). The goal of the project has been to help attract new businesses, lodging, and recreational opportunities to riverfront main streets in Grafton and other rural communities by redeveloping industrial legacy sites.
The NBAC has partnered with Downstream Strategies to interview community stakeholders and engage in facilitated stakeholder discussions in Taylor County to discuss the project and brownfield redevelopment in the community. Stakeholders have voiced interest in further exploring how to:
- Develop supportive infrastructure, such as trails and river/lake access points;
- Promote historical resources;
- Develop overnight accommodations; and
- Reuse and restore high priority properties.
See more about the Grafton and Taylor County Tourism Assessment here!
Active Project Map
This map includes the locations for all project sites currently slated to receive or have received NBAC Assessment Grant funding for environmental or planning activities.
Community Events
The NBAC will host open forum meetings to offer regular updates, answer questions, and give helpful information about the assessment fund. These meetings will take place quarterly throughout the duration of the initiative, ending in September 2023. All are welcome to attend. Registration is free but required.