U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
Office of Community Planning and Development


Consolidated Plan Contact

CITIZEN'S SUMMARY

The City of Wheeling was incorporated by the Virginia Assembly in 1836. Wheeling is the birthplace of the State of West Virginia and served as the capitol of the newly formed state from 1863 until 1870. The City is located on the Ohio River bordering the states of Ohio and Pennsylvania. The City is 59 miles southwest of Pittsburgh. Wheeling is in the heart of both a major trucking route, I-70, and a major shipping route, via the Ohio River.

Action Plan

The City's sole source of funding for the activities included in the Consolidated Plan is Community Development Block Grant funds (CDBG). The City will use CDBG funds to complete a number of activities in the City of Wheeling. Some of the activities are site specific while other are activities are available on a City-wide basis. Site specific activities are being undertaken to address health and safety concerns of predominantly low-income households seeking to provide the most efficient use of scarce resources based on critical needs. City-wide activities are available to ensure equitable distribution of funds and provide opportunities for redevelopment City-wide.

Citizen Participation

In January 1995, the City of Wheeling's Community Development Block Grant Department conducted four public meetings to solicit input into the preparation of the CP. Additionally, the City accepted comments in writing. The public hearings were advertised in the local newspaper. The public hearings, conducted in the evenings, were held throughout the City.

In addition to the four public meetings, the City invited other governmental agencies and non- profit to provide insight and input into the goals and actions that should be considered as a result of the consolidated planning process. Each agency and non-profit organization in the City was contacted by mail to identify specific needs and subsequent actions to address needs.

Consultation with the Housing Authority of the City of Wheeling was made to obtain data on the public housing inventory, including Section 8 Rental assistance, and to discuss the Housing Authority's plans for public housing development activities. The City also solicited input from social service and homeless agencies providing housing assistance and related services to low and moderate income persons. Comprehensive surveys were mailed to each of these agencies.

Copies of the CP were distributed to various public locations as well as sent to the Housing Authority for their comments. A summary of the CP was published on May 1, 1995 in the local newspaper to alert interested persons as to the availability of the CP. The CP was placed at three locations for public review.


HOUSING AND COMMUNITY
DEVELOPMENT NEEDS

The City of Wheeling is the largest city in Ohio County. Between 1980 and 1990 the City experienced a 34 percent population loss. The decline has been contributed to the economy of the area which was hard hit by the decline of the coal and steel industries. Wheeling, however, is experiencing a rebirth with the growing tourism industry. Wheeling is home to the only successfully run self-sustaining municipal park in the country. The City is also home to the largest Festival of Lights Display in North America. In addition to several federally recognized historic districts, the City is a National Heritage Area.

Conditions

The top two employers in the City are Wheeling Hospital and Ohio Valley Medical Center. Due to the increased activity in the tourism industry the third largest employer is the Wheeling Park Commission.

In 1990 the median family income (MFI) for the Wheeling, WV-OH Metropolitan Area (MSA) was $27,287 for a family of four. According to information released by HUD in May, 1993, 36.93 percent of Wheeling's population was low- and moderate-income (LMI) with annual incomes of $21,850 or less for a family of four. Of the 15 census tracts in the City, five contain a LMI percentage ranging from 59.90 percent to 80.89 percent. These census tracts comprise the neighborhoods surrounding the City's central business district.

Housing Needs

Because of the old age of the City's housing stock in combination with a high incidence of low- and moderate-income households, the City housing continues to need rehabilitation. There also continues to be the need for home buyer assistance among lower income renter households.

Market Conditions

Sixty-one percent of the City's housing stock is owner-occupied. Median value of the owner-occupied housing stock is $45,000. Median contract rent is $274. The U.S. Census reports that there is a high rental vacancy rate in the City of 14.35 percent and a low vacancy rate of 1.94 percent among owner-occupied units.

Affordable Housing Needs

While the availability of units for owner-occupancy is small, the majority of the units are affordable to households with income below 80 percent of the median. Up to 60 percent of the units are affordable to households between 30 and 50 percent of the City's median income and almost one-third are affordable to households with income below 30 percent of median. Similarly, 99 percent of the vacant for-rent units in Wheeling are affordable to households with incomes below 80 percent of the median and 83 percent are affordable to households between 30 and 50 percent of the City's median income.

Homeless Needs

Based on the data collected, there appears to be shelter space available to accommodate the needs of the homeless individuals in the City of Wheeling. Service providers for the homeless indicate that the most pressing need in the community for the homeless population is affordable rental units and the provision of a continuum level of support services to assist individuals and families in maintaining self-sufficiency once it is achieved.

Public and Assisted Housing Needs

Because of the old age of the public housing stock in the City of Wheeling, there is the need for continuous rehabilitation and modernization.

Barriers to Affordable Housing

Generally, the regulatory and administrative policies in Wheeling do not impede affordable housing in the City. A significant concern in Wheeling is housing quality with much of the old housing stock in need of constant repair. Affordability is most often limited by a household's ability to save toward a downpayment and the transaction costs associated with the purchase of a home.

Fair Housing

In 1991 the City completed a Fair Housing Analysis. The City has been implementing the recommendations of the Fair Housing Analysis ensuring impediments to the provision of fair housing do not exist in the City of Wheeling.

Lead-Based Paint

Lead paint is typically found in homes that were constructed prior to 1978. Since most of the units in the City of Wheeling are older, the probability of finding lead paint is high. There is a significant portion of the City's housing stock that is occupied by low income households, renters and owners, which potentially contains lead-based paint and consequently, poses a health hazard to children younger than age 7.

Community Development Needs

Due to the old age of much of the City's infrastructure along with limited resources resulting from a continuously decreasing and poorer population residing in Wheeling much of the City's infrastructure is in need of maintenance and replacement. Another major community development need in the City is maintenance of Wheeling's parks.

Coordination

The City of Wheeling Community Development Block Grant Department, taking direction from the City Council, is responsible for administration of the City's CDBG funds. As such, the Community Development Block Grant Department coordinates many of the activities described in the Consolidated Plan. The City works with public agencies providing housing resources, assisted housing providers, and private and public social services to coordinate housing and support service efforts.


HOUSING AND COMMUNITY
DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY

Vision for Change

Wheeling's goal is to create a strong, viable, and revitalized community. Through the coordinated efforts of all persons and organizations, pride in the community can be restored, and children can be given a feeling of hope for their future. Working with and through human service organizations, the dependency on human services can be lessened as families become more economically and socially self-sufficient.

Housing and Community Development Objectives

The objectives are to use scarce resources in an efficient manner benefitting the greatest number of persons and households with an emphasis on assistance to low- and moderate-income households.

Housing Priorities

The City of Wheeling's housing priorities include maintaining and increasing rental assistance; providing homebuyer assistance for first-time homebuyers; providing rehabilitation for housing units to households at 0% to 80% of median income; providing rehabilitation for lower income tenant households, including households with special needs; and preserving and expanding the supply of affordable housing through acquisition in conjunction with rehabilitation and or new construction.

Non-Housing Community Development Priorities

The major non-housing community development priorities in the City are upkeep of public infrastructure, particularly parks; support of social service agencies; improved accessibility by the elderly and handicapped; and expanding the tax base and increasing employment opportunities through promoting economic development.

Anti-Poverty Strategy

In an attempt to reduce the number of families living in poverty in Wheeling, the City will continue to provide CDBG funds to social service agencies which attempt to integrate the provision of social services and affordable housing activities for households below the level of poverty.

Housing and Community Development Resources

The City's will use CDBG funds to carry out the programs described in its Consolidated Plan. In Fiscal Year 1995 the City's CDBG entitlement is $2,071,000. Additionally the City has available $108,000 of program income.


ONE-YEAR ACTION PLAN

Description of Key Projects

Lead Agencies

The City of Wheeling Community Development Block Grant Department.

Housing Goals

The City projects funding rehabilitation of 25 units in the City during Fiscal Year 1995.

Maps

MAP 1 depicts points of interest in the jurisdiction

MAP 2 depicts points of interest and low-moderate income areas.

MAP 3 depicts points of interest, low-moderate income areas, and minority concentration levels.

MAP 4 depicts points of interest, low-moderate income areas, and unemployment levels.

MAP 5 depicts points of interest, low-moderate income areas, and proposed HUD funded projects.

TABLE (without associated map) provides information about the project(s).

To comment on Wheeling's Consolidated Plan, please contact:

Gary Lange
City of Wheeling, West Virginia
Phone Number: 304-234-3617

Return to West Virginia's Consolidated Plans.