Wood County Development Authority outlines grants, ITC plans and housing parcel work in Vienna

Lindsay, a representative of the Wood County Development Authority, told the council the authority won several grants and is coordinating redevelopment work tied to the WVU Innovation and Technology Center (ITC).

Lindsay said the authority was awarded a $700,000 industrial access road grant to construct a road connecting 12th Street between Lowe's and Sam’s Club to the new WVU ITC and adjacent developments. She also said the authority received $1,250,000 to replace 468 windows and 32 doors at the former OBU campus.

The authority sought a $1,000,000 congressional earmark for redevelopment of the industrial portion of the former Johns Manville site, but Lindsay cautioned congressional appropriations were uncertain while Congress was operating under a continuing resolution.

Lindsay described coordination with the WVU Foundation to annex about 18 acres into the city for development around the ITC. The authority paid for engineering renderings for a proposed 75-lot housing layout on excess land owned by the WVU Foundation and said it has compiled a list of five interested housing developers, four of whom she said have local ties.

The authority is working with city staff (Greg and Jack) on water and sewer cost estimates and will pursue grant funding for infrastructure extension to serve housing and commercial parcels at the ITC entrance. Lindsay said two tenants have committed to a future commercial unit on the ITC campus and that plans include a business incubator with space for roughly 25 businesses to rent and potentially partner with or hire WVU students.

Lindsay also summarized other local assistance: adding 14 Vienna properties to a county-wide property database, assisting Halls Chocolate with financing for a new production line, and providing demographic materials to Grand Central Mall tenants. She said the authority convened a Vienna business stakeholder meeting with 12 participants and conducted business retention visits to several firms.

Council members thanked the authority for coordination and asked about riverfront grant opportunities; Lindsay said a final conceptual rendering will be needed before pursuing many federal grants and said the authority stood ready to apply once plans were finalized.

Lindsay closed by offering continued support for downtown technical assistance programs and the state’s “OnTrack” community process, which she said provides technical assistance and architectural consulting rather than direct state funding.

No formal council action took place; the presentation was informational.