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Morgantown Land Reuse Agency updates: demolition, donations, title exams and planning work
Summary
The Morgantown Land Reuse Agency approved March minutes, received staff updates on demolition and donation pipelines, agreed to proceed with title exams for several donated parcels, reviewed Spruce Center leasing and its strategic plan, and set a 60-day goal for data collection on Lower Greenlawn.
The Morgantown Land Reuse Agency on April 9 approved minutes from its March meeting and heard a series of staff updates on demolition projects, property donations, title exams and planning tasks.
Agency staff reported the demolition procurement for three properties will await completion of required asbestos inspections and a historic-preservation inventory needed for West Virginia DEP D-LAP funding. Staff said the bid is expected to go out in mid to late May once those reports are filed.
On donations, staff described five parcels under consideration (including 612 Arlington, 300 Overdale and 121 Kingwood) and said some owners have submitted donation applications while others have not completed follow‑up steps. Staff recommended and the board agreed to authorize title-examination work for donation candidates so the agency can determine whether liens or other defects exist before closing. Staff said the city will cover title-exam costs for properties tied to ARPA-funded projects and that funding for other title exams will be confirmed with the city manager’s office before charges are incurred.
Staff also reviewed options for acquiring tax-delinquent parcels at public auction and confirmed the agency has a right-of-first-refusal option to participate in county sales. "If we have right of first refusal, we should, yeah, we should definitely get in," one board member said during the discussion; staff said they will present a fuller summary of the county auction and redemption process at the next meeting.
On facility leasing, staff reported one lease for office space at the Spruce Center is executed and in use by a tenant, and the Housing Authority has relocated to its new suite. Staff said there are five or six leasable spaces remaining and that communications and partner organizations will be asked to renew outreach to prospective tenants.
The board reviewed a reorganized strategic plan and agreed to convert high-level objectives into task lists for committee review; staff will transpose the plan into a collaborative online tracking platform and bring committee-level task lists to upcoming committee meetings.
Finally, staff described the start of a property-condition and occupancy data-collection template for Lower Greenlawn, said they are coordinating with Urban Design Ventures on condition-assessment criteria for a possible HUD revitalization-area submission, and set a 60-day target for the data collection to allow a June report. Staff noted the project could be funded either through a CDBG substantial-amendment process or through an as-yet-unallocated $2 million congressional direct-spending package but that no final funding decision has been made.
The meeting concluded after a motion to adjourn.
