It is fairly easy to have doubt about the promise included in the upcoming, two-year streetscape project slated for downtown Wheeling because the last time such an initiative took place in the mid-1990s, the economic impact proved minimal.
The W.Va. Division of Highways had partnered with the City of Wheeling back then, too, but the beautification project failed to stop repeated business closures as the retail industry and consumers adopted a new trend called “the mall.” One after another, downtown Wheeling anchors like L.S. Good, J.C. Penney, and Stone & Thomas moved operations to the Ohio Valley Mall.
Zende, though, believes with the additional housing now planned for Main and Market streets by the WODA Group and Coon Restoration, the private sector soon will fill vacant storefronts.
“If you take a good look around, you’ll see that there are a lot of improvements being made right now, and Roxby Development, WODA Housing, the city, and the county are all playing big roles in making very positive differences,” Zende said. “Our residential units are growing in numbers, and that means the private sector will follow in the future. With the 40-plus apartments that WODA announced last week and with more than 100 new units in the Wheeling-Pitt Building, the number of people working and living in downtown is going to make a big difference.
“That is why, in the next two to three years, I believe we’re not going to recognize this area and because I see very, very positive things happening,” he said. “It’s all up from here. That’s what I believe, and there are a lot of reasons for that belief.”
Brain Rattle
Avoiding Main Street now is a thing.
No kidding, and it is because those who work and/or live in or around downtown Wheeling steer clear of the roadway that has been gnawed and chewed by a plethora of underground infrastructure projects that have included water and sewer improvements, gas line upgrades, and cable and electrical work as well.
Instead, motorists are choosing McColloch Street or W.Va. Rt. 250 to the 16th Street exit. Or, in lieu of entering the downtown from Interstate 70 eastbound, they are utilizing I-470 so to enter the downtown from the south.
There is, however, a solution finally in the works despite a number of delays for various reasons, including extended local state review processes, the non-productive debate over changing Main and Market from two-way to one-way roadways, and the discovery of a number of old, underground storage vaults once utilized decades ago. Now, though, Zende insists the two-year streetscape beautification project should begin at some point this summer.
“There is no question that we have many of those puzzle pieces that aren’t put together yet, and that’s because we have major infrastructure projects that are coming to a close with the bridges and ramps on Interstate 70 finishing up,” Zende said. “Of course, we all are looking forward to the $25 million streetscapes finally getting started in downtown Wheeling this year because of the positive difference we feel those improvements will make for our current businesses and for the ones that hopefully will choose downtown Wheeling in the future.
“I know because our local residents cannot envision the difference the streetscape will have on the downtown area; it’s tough for them to believe the future should be a positive one,” he explained. “Right now, all they feel are the horrible roads, and they see the fractured curbs and the uneven sidewalks, and those things are very unattractive right now, and they have been for a long while. That’s why I can’t blame some people for being negative, but I feel those attitudes will change sooner than later.”
Another positive? Partnerships.
“We are now seeing the city and the county working together, and we’ve got the Regional Economic Development Partnership and several chambers of commerces working together, and we’ve got Wheeling Heritage, the Community Foundation, and the Wheeling Convention and Visitor’s Bureau all working together, too,” Zende summarized. “We’re all meeting once per month, and we’re really sharing so many ideas with each other.
“Everyone is listening to each other, and we’re helping each other where it’s needed,” he said. “It’s all been very well received, and so we can continue working with our local workforce, we’ll likely have another symposium in the near future so we can all wrap our heads around the largest of the issues so when growth is possible, the needed employees are there. To this point, the work has been progressing very strongly.”
1st Quarter Success
Zende was named the president of the Wheeling Chamber following a seven-year tenure served by Erikka Storch, a six-term member of the W.Va. House of Delegates. Storch’s final two years were covered by the Covid pandemic, but membership retention did take place despite the many challenges posed by the coronavirus.
Zende was the economic development specialist for the City of Wheeling for 17 years before accepting the position late last year and justifiably has been credited with the reinvention of the Centre Market shopping district.
“Trust me; there have been some growing pains, and there is a little bit of a learning curve, but we’re in the process of hiring some additional people, and there are some key positions I have identified that need filled as well,” Zende explained. “We have had some very successful events so far, and we very much looked forward to welcoming former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to Wheeling today for our Lunch with Leaders event.
“We also had a great response to our workforce symposium and, quite honestly, the local workforce is our biggest detriment right now, in my opinion,” he said. “It might hinder growth over the next few months, and I would hate to see that become a reality. Other than that, I feel we have our ducks in a row, and I’ve never seen the level of cooperation in this area as I have seen over the last four months. Hopefully, I have been a part of that because I have been around for a long time, and I am used to bringing people together and getting things done.”
Now that Zende has gathered agencies and organizations in the Wheeling, he insisted the ultimate goal for all of the above is to reverse the ongoing trend of population decline.
“One of our bigger goals is to attract workforce members from outside the area, and to accomplish that, we have to make this area as attractive as possible as far as employment opportunities, and aesthetically, too. Those are two things that would make people want to live here because, along with the safety and the quality-of-life aspects, we are figuring out ways to target them,” Zende said. “That’s a project that all of our entities have to be involved in because there are ways to do it, and I am confident we all will get there in the not-too-distance future.
“It is common knowledge that areas are judged by their downtowns, and let’s face it, our downtown needs to become a sight to behold,” the chamber president added. “I think with the improvements that are being made by the city, the county, and the state, we are going to see a huge difference for our future, and once it is all completed, it’s just going to be better for the whole community.”
