2026 WV Brownfields & Main Street Conference

In West Virginia communities, housing is not an amenity; it is infrastructure. Without it, workforce recruitment stalls, downtown revitalization loses its foundation, and the people who show up to do the work of community building have nowhere to live. This panel brings together practitioners and local leaders from West Virginia communities at different stages of housing-focused redevelopment, examining the extent of housing needs in West Virginia, opportunities that underutilized properties present, and what it takes to move those properties to a viable residential project in a thin rural market. Conversation will center on the housing market, financing, community trust, and the role of strategic planning in making housing visible as an economic development priority and not just a social service response. Attendees will leave with practical examples applicable to their own communities, and an honest account of what is working, what is not, and why these projects matter.

Securing the cleanup funding for brownfield properties is just one step along the way in a larger revitalization process. Implementation of project reuse goals requires a mix of funding options and as the EPA Grant allocation for post-remediation planning is shrinking, communities are considering alternative programs and funding to support reuse. This talk will explore how other federal grant opportunities, through such agencies as DOT, FEMA, EDA, and HUD, can support brownfield revitalization projects while achieving co-benefits. We will discuss best practices for developing strong grant applications, matching alternative funding with project pieces, conducting meaningful stakeholder engagement, and stacking funding to complete redevelopment.