New Buildings at Falling Run (Morgantown, Cheat Lake: real estate, 2013, apartments)

[304eer]

I know 100% that they are building 4 new WVU buildings at the bottom of Falling Run where it intersects with University Ave. So below the Augusta and between Life Sciences and the B&E Buildings. Does anyone know when these projects are starting?

[CTMountaineer]

Do you have any more information as to the nature of the project? What is the purpose of the buildings?

Frankly, there is so much construction going on around here it is hard to keep up with it. You see something new being built at practically every turn. Knowing the purpose of the buildings would give us some insight.

[abwvu1]

I believe there's gonna be a pedestrian/road over where the old Mountaineer Field stood. (intersection of University/Stewart toward the B and E Building)

It's been heard regarding the 4 buildings but never released. I'm pretty sure we'll know about it in the near future.

http://morgantown.org/detail.php?page_id=5

a new downtown classroom and innovation center building ($60 million) will be constructed at the loop on Falling Run Road.

[elewis7]

The original plan was to construct a new building on the paved parking lot inside the loop, connecting B&E and LSB. Since then, the University has bought up 20+ acres of land and structures in the Falling Run area and cleared out much of the blighted properties near campus. Last I saw, they were still in the conceptual stage of figuring out what to do. The most recent (over a year ago) idea was to indeed put a realigned University Ave. closer to LSB and B&E along with an upgraded intersection with Campus/Stewart. They also want to bring Yoke St. up to create an at-grade intersection with Stewart. Beyond the new road in the loop, they would construct at least two new buildings, probably three, with a large pedestrian tunnel under University Ave. to extend the current LSB quad to the former loop area. Also, an initial idea for the rest of the property up Falling Run was a downtown arboretum, but that was more than a couple years ago now and I don't know where that stands. They've been focusing on University Place, College Park, and University Park, along with Evansdale, so once those are completed, they'll turn their attention to the renovation of Towers, the new hotel and conference center, and Falling Run, presumably. If I can find the pictures, I'll post the conceptual site plan for the loop area.

[elewis7]

Again, this was conceptual and probably not the most recent idea. I'd email Rob Moyer or Phoenecia Keffer with Facilities Planning if you want to see if they've made any progress with this.

[MischiefWV]

Been hoping/wishing for years that the University Ave realignment would occur as the current state of the loop is horrendous. The possible addition of green space in these building plans is always welcome

[CTMountaineer]

Those are ambitious plans for Falling Run and the Loop. The amazing amount of things going on just here in Monongalia (not even counting the surrounding areas) boggles the mind. Just the excerpt from the article merits repeating. There are billions of dollars of projects going on around here, and our state government is contributing next to nothing to the endeavors.

Monongalia County +

•Projects at West Virginia University including $250 Million in investments in the Evansdale Campus including new buildings for the College of Physical Activity and Sport Sciences and Student Wellness Center (120,000 SF, $40 mill), a new Advanced Engineering Research building (95,000 SF, $43 million), a new Agricultural Sciences Building (207,000 SF, $105 million), an addition to the College of Law Building (22,000 SF, $14 million), a new Art Museum (20,000 SF, $11 million). Also, a new downtown classroom and innovation center building ($60 million) will be constructed at the loop on Falling Run Road.
•WVU has five major public/private sector projects underway including the 567- bed College Park Apartments ($44 million) mixed-use housing development off North Willey Street near Downtown Morgantown; a 1300- bed University Park ($113 million) multi-purpose development in Evansdale; the 980- bed University Place ($70 million) mixed-use housing development in Sunnyside; the Evansdale Crossing ($25 million) mixed-use student union type facility; and a Baseball Stadium ($21 million) near the UniversityTown Centre that will serve as the home of the WVU baseball team as well as a minor league team.

•WVU Healthcare has plans for a $280 million capital improvement program including a new 10-story 114-bed tower adjacent to Ruby Memorial Hospital, an expanded emergency department, a new Rosenbaum Family House and Child Development Center, and a new Animal Research Facility ($22 mil).

•WVU will implement a $106 million Athletics facilities master plan over the next few years.
•Broad band services at the University are undergoing a multi-million dollar upgrade to better support STEM programs.

•Phase 2 of the Personal Rapid Transit System revitalization program ($53 million).
•The Conservation Fund, The Nature Conservancy, and the WV Department of Natural Resources recently announced the purchase of 3,800 acres ($7 million) of the Cheat Canyon to be used for recreation and as a nature preserve.

•The Monongalia County Board of Education is planning to construct a new elementary school to serve the Suncrest area.
•The Monongalia County Development Authority will construct a new access road ($6 mil.) to serve the National Guard Readiness Center and a proposed 95-acre I-68 Commerce Park on the east side of the Morgantown Airport.

•A new “BMX” deep coal mine (3,200 acres in Western Monongalia County, 520 jobs, $40 million payroll.)
•Continued build out of Morgantown Industrial Park.

•Continued build out at the Cornerstone Commerce Park at Exit 146 of I-79.
•A new West Run Business Park on a 10 acres site on West Run Road to include Mid-Atlantic Sports Cars, Metro Property Management Maintenance, Accelerated Construction Services, and Premier Commercial Real Estate.
•A new Fort Pierpont Business Center off Exit 7 of I-68 to include restaurants, offices, and a hotel. Planet Fitness gym and the corporate offices for Stone Energy Corporation will locate in the Center.
•A new Triad Engineering office building and shop (15,000 SF) in the Chaplin Hill Business Park.
•A new CTL Engineering office building and shop (15,000 SF) in the Chaplin Hill Business Park.
•A new Tiefenbach North America multiuse building (20,000 SF) in the Chaplin Hill Business Park.
•A new L & H Ventures multiuse building (17,000 SF).
•The purchase and renovation of the Federal Building ($17+ million) on High Street to serve as a county judicial/office building by the Monongalia County Commission.

•WV Radio Corporation will renovate and expand an 11,000 SF building at 260 Spruce Street to serve as its headquarters and as offices for Pikewood Creative, and Metro News Radio.

•West Run Road improvement project (1.2 million)

•Patteson Drive +1 improvement project ($1.8 million)
•Hartman Run Road Bridge Replacement Project ($4 million)
•Mileground widening project ($38 million). This project includes the recently completed roundabout at the Rt. 705/Mileground intersection.
•Continued build-out at University Town Centre project (100 + acre commercial center) including a new 110,000 SF WVU Healthcare Outpatient Center ($52 million). The developer is proceeding with a large 240-acre expansion ($200 + million) of the Town Centre to the south and west that includes a new Interchange on I-79 at mile marker 154 ($25 million) and a new 3,500 seat baseball stadium ($21 million) that will be used by both the WVU baseball team and a New York – Penn League minor league baseball team. Two tax increment financing bills totaling $80 million were approved by the WV State Government in the 2013 legislative session to help finance the public infrastructure related to this project and the baseball stadium.
•Continued build-out at Suncrest Towne Centre ($50 million commercial center) including a new 20,000 SF office building and additional restaurants.

•Continued build-out on ECR Investment Group site in Sabraton .

•Continued build-out at Sterling Commons in Sabraton.

•Continued build-out of the “The Gateway” project at northwest quadrant of I-79 - Exit 155 (57 acres), to include a Candlewood Suites Hotel, a La Quinta Inn, and other retail stores, offices , restaurants and apartments.
•Continued build-out of Platinum Properties Cheat Lake Development (Commercial/Residential)
•Mon Health Medical Office Park (Three four-story buildings of 40,000 SF each, $25 million). Monongalia General Hospital also plans to fund the widening and upgrade of Maple Drive which provides access to the future Office Park.
•A new $7 million radiation therapy facility by MRTJV, LLC at Mon General Hospital .
•A 190- room Holiday Inn Express hotel adjoining the new CVS Pharmacy on a 5.5 acre site at Pineview and Maple Drives.
• “Harless Center at Central Place,” a 234 bed, 120 units, faith-based housing complex (120,000 SF, $12 mil.) in downtown Morgantown.

•A new Sheetz store on University Avenue in Downtown Morgantown.
•A new CVS Pharmacy at the corner of Spruce Street and Willey Street.

•Star City’s Boyers Avenue TIF project ($2.2 mil) that created a .73/acre parcel for redevelopment in the Town’s downtown River Front Business District.
•Phase V of Morgantown’s High Street Streetscape project.
•Numerous other smaller apartment, retail, and office developments

[abwvu1]

Originally Posted by elewis7

They've been focusing on University Place, College Park, and University Park, along with Evansdale, so once those are completed, they'll turn their attention to the renovation of Towers, the new hotel and conference center, and Falling Run, presumably. If I can find the pictures, I'll post the conceptual site plan for the loop area.

IMO they'd be better off putting a wrecking ball to Towers and rebuilding TWO state of the art structures (similar to University Park). Towers is well past its time. Plumbing there is shoddy at best.

New hotel and conference center should be rolling starting this summer and be completed hopefully by the Fall 2017 football season.

[CTMountaineer]

Originally Posted by abwvu1

IMO they'd be better off putting a wrecking ball to Towers and rebuilding TWO state of the art structures (similar to University Park). Towers is well past its time. Plumbing there is shoddy at best.

New hotel and conference center should be rolling starting this summer and be completed hopefully by the Fall 2017 football season.

Towers is too massive to destroy and rebuild. That would cost more than a hundred million. They could do a really nice job of remodeling it, including all new plumbing, for far less than that. I heard it straight from one of the guys in charge that the bids for the new hotel are due in within the next few days.

Morgantown is going to be absolutely cranking for sporting events when all of these facilities are finished. In my opinion, making the city more of a destination like this will increase game attendance too.

[304eer]

Thanks elewis. That's exactly what I was looking for. I had heard the pedestrian bridge from LSB to B&E as well