WVU Parkersburg: ITC to open classes in August; housing, daycare and utilities plans advance

WVU Parkersburg representatives told the Vienna City Council the Innovation Technology Center campus will open for classes by Aug. 18 and that construction expects substantial completion of site work and buildings by September, with a community grand opening planned for October. "We will be able to offer classes by our August 18 deadline," presenter Dr. Mary Jackson said.

The presentation listed specific capital work already completed and funded: a window-and-door replacement project paid by a congressional allocation, which Dr. Jackson said cost "$1,200,000" and covered about 460 windows and 32 exterior doors. She said the college will open portions of the facility earlier while some lots and road work finish later.

Daycare and student housing were cited as early program priorities. Council members were told that Bright Beginnings Daycare, in partnership with community resources, will relocate from Parkersburg and expand from about 60 children to capacity for 120 students, with potential to expand to 130. Dr. Jackson said the college has also ordered residence-hall furnishings and expects students in some residence halls this fall.

On utilities, Jackson described an earlier estimate that Vienna Utility Board service to the hill would cost about $12,000,000. She said project planners instead negotiated with the Parkersburg Utility Board to provide water and sewer for homes on the site at an estimated cost of about $1,000,000. "That was by far the most economical and easiest and fastest way to be able to get that going," she said.

Housing and commercial plans shown in the council packet include a conceptual neighborhood around the ITC with single-family lots and townhouse or multi-tenant options; the presenters said renderings anticipate up to about 75 homes on the surrounding tracts and roughly 50 single-family units in the current rendering, with additional parcels to be laid out later. They added that letters of intent exist from at least three prospective commercial users. The presenters cautioned that current construction costs make low-cost single-family housing (for example $150,000 price points) unlikely without subsidy. "It is impossible right now to build a $150,000 house and for a builder to make money," Jackson said.

Funding updates included a $700,000 water-development-authority grant used to replace several roofs, and a statement that the WVU Parkersburg college foundation will take a three-year loan to finish the project; Jackson said the loan size is “large” but did not give an exact dollar amount at the meeting. The presentation said the development authority secured an industrial-access road grant last fiscal year and will reapply for additional road funds in the new fiscal year; Pickering (development partner) hopes to advertise the road work for bid in September but cautioned the timetable depends on West Virginia Department of Highways approval.

Economic development elements described to council include an industrial partner that will perform additive and subtractive manufacturing, a planned bus connection (the transit authority will donate a used bus and provide a driver), and classroom and maker spaces such as a podcast studio and computer-science classrooms intended to support retention. The presenters said they expect an announcement about the industrial partner soon.

Council members asked about stormwater retention and whether the campus pond would support fishing; presenters said the pond is intended as stormwater retention and any recreational use would be determined later. Council members also asked about repainting the campus water tower to remove a previous logo; presenters said a contractor quoted about $25,000 to remove the existing logo and leave the other side white, and said replacing the city logo on the tower is an item for future consideration.

The presenters asked councilors to review zoning recommendations already submitted to the city and offered property tours. Jackson and project staff invited ongoing questions and said they would provide presentation materials for the city to post publicly.

Why it matters: the ITC project combines education, housing and industrial development on more than 200 acres inside Vienna city limits; the utility and road decisions determine whether parcels can be built quickly and whether developers will be local or regional. The council discussion focused on sequencing (utilities, roads), realistic housing price expectations, and short-term openings to host classes and daycare.

What remains unresolved: the college foundation loan amount, final timelines for full campus completion, exact price points for housing, and Department of Highways approval for industrial access road work.