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Charleston presenter outlines land-reuse programs, incentives and goals
Summary
John Butterworth of the City of Charleston described that city’s land-reuse agency structure, funding sources and programs—including demolition, lot grants, a revolving loan fund and a new-construction incentive program—saying the agency accepts operating losses to achieve neighborhood outcomes.
John Butterworth, a planner with the City of Charleston, told the Morgantown Land Reuse Agency on April 9 that Charleston’s land-reuse work prioritizes returning tax-delinquent or blighted parcels to productive use through demolition, property acquisition, targeted redevelopment and conservation.
Butterworth said Charleston created its land-reuse agency in 2019 and that the agency’s board includes the mayor or the mayor’s designee, the city manager, two city-council members and three citizen members, with several city staff serving ex officio. "We are not making money and I don't think you guys should have any expectations to do that either," Butterworth said of the agency’s projects, adding the office measures success in outcomes for neighborhoods rather than financial profit.
The presentation explained how Charleston used three one-time capital sources to start and expand the program: about $250,000 from settlement funds tied to the region’s water crisis, $1.5 million in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds, and a more recent $600,000 city council allocation intended to cover two years of operations. Butterworth described three principal program tools: a new-construction incentive grant (he said the program offered $35,000 in some cases and up to $50,000 for more challenging lots), a revolving loan fund that can finance rehabs "up to $100,000 per unit," and a side-lot program that transfers small, undevelopable parcels to adjacent owners for modest fees.
Butterworth said Charleston has pursued outcomes that include demolition of unsafe structures, assembling lots for immediate redevelopment and conserving parcels adjacent to parks. He noted a dozen or more new-construction projects were active under the incentive program and that several renovations were already completed or underway in response to a mayoral goal to renovate five single-family homes and build 25 new single-family homes by the end of 2025. "We're going to lose money on these projects, but we're going to gain a lot of outcome for the community," he said.
He described partnerships with nonprofit groups including Habitat for Humanity and Appalachia Service Project and said the agency used public engagement tools—on-site comment boards and QR-code surveys—to shape reuse plans for particular lots. Butterworth also recommended that Morgantown consider applying for state tax-incentive designations that Charleston used; he described those state incentives as combining income-tax credits and waivers of sales tax on building materials, and said they can add materially to a project's feasibility.
Butterworth encouraged an active role by the land-reuse agency in redevelopment, not just listing properties for sale: "I really encourage you all to think about how we take a very active role in getting the people that are trying to do good in your community to yes, on taking over property," he said.
The presenter answered questions about program terms and results and said he would share the slide deck with Morgantown staff after the meeting. The agency’s members thanked Butterworth and resumed other business.
