FAIRMONT, W.Va. – In Fairmont, blight removal is making a positive difference, and one of the best examples is the area along Pennsylvania Avenue between downtown and the Bellview neighborhood. Fairmont’s Director of Planning and Development, Shae Strait, said residents can track progress on an interactive map at the city website.
“The removal of blight has been critical in supporting a number of neighborhoods and their success in the future, and we’re beginning to see the signs of that as we change into the future,” Strait said.
According to Fairmont’s approved Home Rule Plan, properties that have been condemned and are waiting to be demolished can be purchased by the city to expedite the process.
“We have demolished about a little over 50 buildings over the last two years, and we intend to demolish another 25 to 50 this calendar year as well,” Strait said.
Strait said the city of Fairmont funds the process in-house as much as possible and handles each property individually. Each time the city negotiates to make a property purchase, councilors must approve it and any follow-up work needed. In late 2021, councilors approved ordinances for four properties on Bellview Avenue, State Street, and two others on Walnut Street.
During that sale, the city generated about $10,000 in revenue and placed the properties back on the tax rolls.
“For about seven years now, city council has been allocating funding directly out of the general fund, so most of Fairmont’s work has not been grant funded,” Strait said.
In 2015, the West Virginia Legal Education to Address Abandoned and Neglected Properties estimated there were 300 vacant or dilapidated buildings in Fairmont. According to Strait, that number has dropped to about 100 today.
“We’ve seen a number of private land owners and contractors come in to purchase some of these properties, and we expect to see an increase in building permits this year for some new single-family homes or even townhomes,” Strait said.
Another type of success story is in downtown Fairmont with a company called Loving West Virginia. The Morgantown-based business is using sweat equity to prevent a downtown building from falling into blight while bringing a local small business to the city.
“So, we can see a mix there, some owners are hesitating to work with us, while others are very receptive and will even give us permission, if they don’t have the