Wheeling Mayoral Candidates Discuss Need for Additional Housing Options
Joe Lovell Trending
WHEELING -- People looking to move to Wheeling often are put off by the city's older housing, and it's an issue the next mayor must address.
On Thursday, the six candidates for Wheeling mayor on May 14 gathered for a forum at West Virginia Northern Community College jointly sponsored by The Intelligencer and Wheeling News-Register and WTRF-TV.
They each answered what they would do as mayor to provide more housing options to attract new residents from outside the area to "The Friendly City."
– "There's a handful of things we can do," said current Vice Mayor Chad Thalman. "First and foremost, we have been doing some of those things on city council for the past eight years.
"We have new housing developments popping up in South Wheeling, and in downtown. We have worked with developers to form public-private partnerships to encourage more housing in our city."
He said the city went for 30 years in which "there wasn't a single new building built in downtown Wheeling. He noted that in the last 10 years, three new buildings have opened in downtown Wheeling - the Doris on Main, the Ohio Valley Community Federal Credit Union, and The Health Plan building.
Soon DiCarlo's Pizza owner Toni DiCarlo is going to break ground on a new condo building, he added.
– Beth Hinebaugh noted she and her husband Ed own 50 properties in the city.
"This is one of the things that we do. We purchase homes, remodel them, and re-rent them for a period of time," she said. "I believe one of the things we need to do is get rid of more of the dilapidated homes - the ones that are not savable. There are some out there that are just beyond repair.
"We do need to continue with tearing down the homes, which the city is doing."
Hinebaugh added she has talked to people who don't want apartments, but instead are looking for single-dwelling homes.
"We need to go in and offer incentives for people to bring back those homes for families," she continued.
– J.T. Thomas added the answer lies in "building and fostering relationships."
"(This is necessary) certainly with the economic developers and with the real estate communities, but more importantly with our local agencies - the county commission, Regional Economic Development (RED)," he continued. "We need to collaborate on the issues.
"If my plans are met, we will bring new residents to the city and reverse the decades-long decline in population. We need good housing so these people can come, and for there to be affordable housing."
– Carl Carpenter said he has strong objections to government officials "who put public money into private hands," and thus he doesn't like public-private partnerships.
"Affordable housing is a major national problem, not just in Wheeling," said Carpenter. "Nonetheless, it is a problem in Wheeling. It combines with having a low income population that imposes additional problems on the people who live here.
"I believe the most helpful thing government can do is give people who own property the right to use it in the most economical way. I believe economics drive most any situation, and you just leave people free to use their property."
– Denny Magruder suggested there are "several ways" to address the housing issue in Wheeling. First, he agrees more dilapidated properties need to be eliminated. Secondly, the city needs to develop programs to assist entire neighborhoods in revitalization, according to Magruder.
"People will want to improve their homes, and the entire neighborhood gets improved," he continued. "When that happens, the vacant lots are more sellable, and people are more likely to buy a lot that has been maintained."
Magruder added there needs to be more "pushing out" of the city -- perhaps along the hillside between Oglebay and Wheeling Park -- to build more single-family dwellings. Annexation might be needed to extend needed services such as water, sewer and broadband, he suggested.
– Rosemary Ketchum, a member of Wheeling City Council, noted that in the 2020 U.S. Census, West Virginia posted the sharpest population decline than any since 1950.
She agreed housing may be part of the problem.
"Our zoning code needs to be thoughtful, it needs to be smart, and it needs to be built to make progress in our city," she said.
Ketchum represents Ward 3 on council, and she explained Ward 3 and Ward 2 are the neighborhoods most often impacted by flooding.
She noted the city last year established the Homeowner Repair Assistance Program for Homes Built Prior to 1940, and credited Councilman Jerry Sklavounakis with initiating the idea. The program requires a 20% match from the homeowner who applies.