The number of demolitions that take place in the city of Wheeling each year varies from year to year, but the end result of each is always another open lot.
These days there are more than 100 vacant lots on Wheeling Island and many more throughout the city because older residential and commercial properties have been abandoned by former residents who have either moved away or passed away.
“I would say that Wheeling Island, North Wheeling, East Wheeling, some parts of Center Wheeling, and South Wheeling have been the most affected by structures that need demolished,” said Wheeling’s Ward 2 Councilman Ben Seidler. “Just take a cruise down the streets and alleys in those neighborhoods, and the need becomes apparent. Be sure to take a can of Fix-a-Flat with you.”
Once a structure is razed, the property can be purchased either from the city of Wheeling or the state of West Virginia depending on what level is holding the deed following demolition, but that’s not always the case because the city’s legal department failed to include an ownership clause.
“We now write into the contracts that the city takes over the deed when we have to demolish the property and apply a lien before the lot can be sold, but unfortunately the city didn’t always do that,” Seidler explained. “So, there are many lots that the city funded to demolish but are still owned by the original owner.
“That’s a big gap we need to address,” he continued. “And to address that, I’m looking toward the creation of a new land reuse agency to help with that.”
Flood Plain Problems
The streets of Wheeling Island have been riddled with dilapidation for several decades, but one reason why nothing has been constructed on those cleared lots is the result of new flood plain regulations that include higher height requirements, utility location, and rules concerning any addition of a permanent structure. Shorelines surrounding Wheeling Island begin flooding when the Ohio River reaches 36 feet, and what areas of the community are affected depends on how high the crest reaches.
The last time all streets on Wheeling Island were affected was on Sept. 19, 2004, when the river crested 45.30 feet. Two days earlier, 10 inches of rain fell in 10 hours causing massive flash flooding across the Upper Ohio Valley. The Red Cross and FEMA officials were stationed in Wheeling, Moundsville, and Martins Ferry for at least three months after the severe weather event.
“I didn’t live on the Island in 2004, but I did live in a flood plain along Valley View Avenue, and that flood destroyed my property and many others in that area,” Seidler recalled. “It happened so fast that no one knew what to do but to leave and come back when we could to see what was left.”
On Wheeling Island at the time, neighbors helping neighbors remained a tradition, and because of the late flood warning issued by the National Weather Service, most basement-stored belongings ended up on the front porch. Since some of those residential properties have been abandoned and demolished during the past 16 years, even more lots are available today.
Attracting new owners, however, is a challenge not only because of the federal mandates on new construction, but also because of dilapidation and because of perception, according to the Council member.
“As it pertains to Wheeling Island, I would hope that some redevelopment could take place, but I also want to be realistic. Redevelopment won’t happen on a large scale until we get the rest of Wheeling Island cleaned up. That means we get the buildings that realistically won’t be saved cleared out of the way,” Seidler said. “We need to get a significant number of rental properties cleaned up. We have a repeatable model in place from the city to hold feet to the fire with proactive property maintenance code enforcement.
“And we really need to get rid of the negative stigma of, ‘Oh, you live on the island?’ I am a big believer in our comprehensive plan because it has the exact plan for mixed use development I plan to execute,” he explained. “Are we going to see new houses go up between two existing houses? Probably not. I expect to see nice yards between those houses. Check out the land reuse agency topic in the comprehensive plan. That is where I am headed.”
