Demolitions begin for East End Village project in Morgantown

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (WBOY) — Demolition began on Monday for the East End Village project in Morgantown as two structures were demolished along the intersection of Richwood Avenue and Gem Street.

Development Services Director Rickie Yeager told 12 News that this project entails the demolition of 58 structures along the Richwood Avenue Corridor.

“The project area on all the demolitions that are happening now are dealing with or concerning vacant and dilapidated housing,” said Yeager. “It’s right next door to the city’s downtown, it’s right next door to West Virginia University, and so, in order to kind of reposition the area for redevelopment in the future, these structures needed to come down.”

Yeager told 12 News that for the project, the area was divided up into four different zones and that the city decided to prioritize Zone 4 for demolition first due to its proximity to the downtown area and the existing residential neighborhood.

Zone 4 contains a total of 13 structures. Once they’re taken down, the city will begin addressing the other three zones along the project area going Zone 2, Zone 3 and ending with Zone 1.

Throughout the span of this project, Yeager said that the city may experience some street closures due to equipment being moved in and out of the project sites. He said that this will likely be the case due to the area being so compact and densely populated.

However, the City of Morgantown will be sending out a notice to the property owners about any closures beforehand. Yeager added that this notice will include information for a point of contact, who residents can reach out to throughout the demolitions with any questions or concerns.

The sites being destroyed are owned by the Monongalia County Development Authority, which the city has been working closely with for a while to get the properties demolished and repositioned for development.

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