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Redevelopment in Parkersburg, West Virginia

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Redevelopment in Parkersburg, West Virginia Redevelopment in Parkersburg, West Virginia A thesis presented to the faculty of the College of Arts and Sciences of Ohio University In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Master of Arts Grant E. McGregor April 2021 © 2021 Grant E. McGregor. All Rights Reserved. 2 This thesis titled Redevelopment in Parkersburg, West Virginia by GRANT E. MCGREGOR has been approved for the Geography Department and the College of Arts and Sciences by Harold Perkins Associate Professor of Geography Florenz Plassmann Dean, College of Arts and Sciences 3 Abstract MCGREGOR, GRANT E., M.A., April 2021, Geography Redevelopment in Parkersburg, West Virginia Director of Thesis: Harold Perkins Parkersburg, West Virginia is a city of 29,000 on the Ohio River. Parkersburg is a post-industrial city which has seen population and job loss consistently dating back to 1960. This thesis aspires to highlight Parkersburg’s history, its current status, and revitalization efforts. Much of the results and discussion of this thesis is focused on infill development and its potential and implementation as a redevelopment tool. This thesis aims to expand on urban planning literature by focusing on a small-sized Appalachian city, in addition to expanding upon urban planning literature regarding revitalization. Recent revitalization efforts made by the city are evaluated, highlighted, and discussed throughout this document. Keywords: Redevelopment, post-industrial, infill development, urban planning, Appalachia, mid-sized city 4 Acknowledgments Thank you to Dr. Harold Perkins for providing me with timely feedback and suggestions regarding this thesis. I would also like to acknowledge Dr. Amy Lynch and Dr. Gaurav Sinha for meeting with me, serving on my committee, and suggesting literature. 5 Table of Contents Page Abstract ............................................................................................................................... 3 Acknowledgments............................................................................................................... 4 List of Tables ...................................................................................................................... 7 List of Figures ..................................................................................................................... 8 Introduction ................................................................................................................... 9 Case Study Background .............................................................................................. 13 Purpose Statement ....................................................................................................... 17 Research Questions ..................................................................................................... 18 Literature Review........................................................................................................ 18 Large-Scale Economic Restructuring in Appalachia ............................................ 18 Small-Scale Economic Restructuring in Cities and the Difficulties facing Central Business Districts .................................................................................................. 20 Infill as a Main Street and Residential Redevelopment Tool ............................... 26 Public-Private Partnerships and Infill Revitalization ............................................ 38 The Importance of Community Input in Urban Redevelopment .......................... 40 The Use of Business Incubators and the Arts/Entertainment for Revitalization .. 43 Methodology ............................................................................................................... 44 Results ......................................................................................................................... 54 Resident Perception of Parkersburg ...................................................................... 55 Annexation and Elastic cities ................................................................................ 56 Perception of Shrinkage ........................................................................................ 58 The Real Property Improvement Tax Rebate Program ......................................... 60 Community Development Block Grants ............................................................... 61 Technology-based economic development (TBED) ............................................. 64 Planning Focus Areas ........................................................................................... 66 Mapping of Opportunities: Commercial and Residential Vacancies in relation to Planning Focus Areas ........................................................................................... 71 Downtown Struggles ............................................................................................. 74 Affordable Housing is a Challenge, but Demand for Senior Housing Helps Create Infill....................................................................................................................... 76 Arts and Culture .................................................................................................... 84 6 Amenities: Waterfront and Museums ................................................................... 86 Community Involvement, Historic Preservation, and Arts ................................... 92 Discussion ................................................................................................................... 96 Education Partnership Opportunities .................................................................... 96 Using strong sectors as redevelopment assets ...................................................... 97 Manufacturing in Present-Day Parkersburg .......................................................... 99 Critique and Suggestions for Moving Forward .................................................. 101 Conclusion ................................................................................................................ 106 References ....................................................................................................................... 110 7 List of Tables Page Table 1 Description of Interviewees .............................................................................. 46 8 List of Figures Page Figure 1 Market Street at night in Downtown Parkersburg .......................................... 10 Figure 2 Parkersburg location map ............................................................................... 11 Figure 3 Planning Focus Area/Redevelopment District Map ........................................ 67 Figure 4 Underutilized land and abandoned warehouses on Jeanette Street. ............... 69 Figure 5 Floodwall Parking Lot..................................................................................... 71 Figure 6 Commercial Vacancy Cluster Map.................................................................. 72 Figure 7 Residential Vacancy Cluster Map. .................................................................. 74 Figure 8 Recent Infill Development Map ....................................................................... 78 Figure 9 Rayon Senior Apartments ................................................................................ 80 Figure 10 Murdoch Heights Apartments ........................................................................ 81 Figure 11 Worthington Creek Apartments ..................................................................... 82 Figure 12 Rowan Apartments ......................................................................................... 83 Figure 13 Newberry Apartments .................................................................................... 84 Figure 14 Arts Organizations Map ................................................................................ 85 Figure 15 Parkersburg Floodwall.................................................................................. 86 Figure 16 Parkersburg Floodwall 2............................................................................... 87 Figure 17 Oil and Gas Museum ..................................................................................... 88 Figure 18 Blennerhassett Museum of Regional History ................................................ 89 Figure 19 Parkersburg Museums Map........................................................................... 90 Figure 20 Masonic Temple (future Children’s Museum) ................................................ 91 Figure 21 Smoot Theater ................................................................................................. 93 Figure 22 Parkersburg Historic Districts Map ............................................................... 95 9 Introduction In this urban planning study, I highlight Parkersburg, West Virginia. Parkersburg is a mid-sized city in the Appalachian region of the United States. The Parkersburg- Vienna MSA (Metropolitan Statistical Area is the 368th largest of 384 total MSA’s (2019 US Census Estimate). With this being said, it is the 4th largest city in West Virginia with a population estimate of 29,300 (2019 US Census Estimate). In urban planning research and literature, small and mid-sized cities like Parkersburg are frequently overlooked. The largest cities tend to get the most attention, leaving out an important story about smaller, post-industrial cities, especially those
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