Reuse plan moves forward on West Side property
3/29/2013
Contact: Stephanie Johnson
(304) 720-3161
director@westsidemainstreet.org
March 28, 2013
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Reuse plan moves forward on West Side property
Funding will allow West Side Main Street to analyze vacant Sunoco lot
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Residents of Charleston’s West Side may soon see new development thanks to a $5,000 award to West Side Main Street (WSMS) for future use of a vacant property located at the intersection of Washington Street West and Greendale Drive. The funding comes from the West Virginia Brownfields Assistance Center and will enable WSMS and the City of Charleston to plan future utilization of a former Sunoco lot.
“West Side Main Street is excited to use these grant funds on a project that is important to the community and plays an integral role in the revitalization of the West Side and Charleston as a whole,” said Stephanie Johnson, director of WSMS, a community revitalization program launched by West Virginia State University (WVSU) Extension Service in 2005.
Residents on the West Side have shown interest in creating a dog park or children’s park, said Johnson, adding that green space seems to be a desired outcome for redevelopment.
“This funding will allow us to hire a professional to look at alternative plans for reuse,” said Bill Woodrum, associate dean and associate director of WVSU Extension Service.
WSMS will collaborate with the Charleston Urban Renewal Authority to determine best use of the property.
West Virginia State University is a public, land grant, historically black university, which has evolved into a fully accessible, racially integrated, and multi‐generational institution, located in Institute, WV. As a “living laboratory of human relations,” the university is a community of students, staff, and faculty committed to academic growth, service and preservation of the racial and cultural diversity of the institution. Its mission is to meet the higher education and economic development needs of the state and region through innovative teaching and applied research.
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