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When I look at Huntington, I see a jewel of a city. Good schools, incredible healthcare, great parks and a developing trail system, dynamism - both culturally and economically - from Marshall, well-laid out (well, besides the RR bisecting the city), and great proximity to the river, rail, highways, and potential markets. All the bones are there from the industrial legacy and growth decades ago, and now it seems like the energy is there to get things developed. Marshall is growing, Mayor Williams has a vision, and, most importantly, the city is filled with people who care about their community. I don't know how fast things will happen or to what scale, but Huntington is definitely primed for a renaissance.
And this can be said for many cities in WV for a variety of reasons. Charleston is still the governmental and financial epicenter of WV. Many of the amenities are in place and the housing market is diversifying (slowly but surely). Morgantown obviously has WVU and is attracting people in droves with a growing professional sector. Wheeling also has that legacy and still has a good amount of old money. Couple that with the gas boom and I could see Wheeling going places. Martinsburg has the DC overflow, Beckley has the BSA and expanding outdoor attractions, and Parkersburg...well it can still get a cracker. Plus, with so many parking lots, it's basically a blank slate!
I'm sure it's been bandied about previously, but I want to bring the conversation back to the growth of Huntington. We've mentioned the need for Huntington and Charleston to work together for their mutual benefit, but what specific ways should the cities and metros focus on to drive this? This can range from something as simple as increased public transportation between the two, to coordinated planning, regional economic incentives and marketing, etc. If you were the mayor of one of the cities, what would you do to increase cooperation while maintaining competition with the other city?
I'm sure it's been bandied about previously, but I want to bring the conversation back to the growth of Huntington. We've mentioned the need for Huntington and Charleston to work together for their mutual benefit, but what specific ways should the cities and metros focus on to drive this? This can range from something as simple as increased public transportation between the two, to coordinated planning, regional economic incentives and marketing, etc. If you were the mayor of one of the cities, what would you do to increase cooperation while maintaining competition with the other city?
Great topic!
Get Charleston in the In Bloom competition. That would be a friendly competition that would be great for both cities. Also, a large airport shared by the cities would be a super beneficial idea.
Oh, here's an idea for Huntington (doesn't pertain to Charleston, sorry for the lack of relevance with the above). Maybe develop what would be a true 2nd avenue. A road straight from Collis and into downtown, connecting at Veteran's Memorial Blvd (this would be similar to and compliment 6th avenue). There is some prime space there, with it being located next to the river and along the busiest routes in Huntington. Problems: they would need to widen and re-route the road significantly in some areas, especially by Marshall. This would unfortunately require the demolishing and/or relicating of some businesses, like WV Steel. On the plus side, this would open up a new route into and out of downtown, which would reduce the bottleneck of traffic caused by 3rd and 5th avenues. Also, there would be A LOT of new prime real estate opened up for any kind of development.
Get Charleston in the In Bloom competition. That would be a friendly competition that would be great for both cities. Also, a large airport shared by the cities would be a super beneficial idea.
Oh, here's an idea for Huntington (doesn't pertain to Charleston, sorry for the lack of relevance with the above). Maybe develop what would be a true 2nd avenue. A road straight from Collis and into downtown, connecting at Veteran's Memorial Blvd (this would be similar to and compliment 6th avenue). There is some prime space there, with it being located next to the river and along the busiest routes in Huntington. Problems: they would need to widen and re-route the road significantly in some areas, especially by Marshall. This would unfortunately require the demolishing and/or relicating of some businesses, like WV Steel. On the plus side, this would open up a new route into and out of downtown, which would reduce the bottleneck of traffic caused by 3rd and 5th avenues. Also, there would be A LOT of new prime real estate opened up for any kind of development.
If the powers at Marshall and in Huntington have their way and turn the WV Steel area into a high tech business park (years down the road), that idea isn't too far fetched.
If the powers at Marshall and in Huntington have their way and turn the WV Steel area into a high tech business park (years down the road), that idea isn't too far fetched.
That is actually a very darn good idea. Proximity to Marshall would definitely be attractive tech firms. That most certainly is a long ways away though.
That is actually a very darn good idea. Proximity to Marshall would definitely be attractive tech firms. That most certainly is a long ways away though.
Shouldnt they promote growth in the tech park? Im not sure where it is, but I thought it was South of Charleston. If this is where the tech park then forget this comment but it is not wise to try and create competition for it after investing so much in it.
Shouldnt they promote growth in the tech park? Im not sure where it is, but I thought it was South of Charleston. If this is where the tech park then forget this comment but it is not wise to try and create competition for it after investing so much in it.
This is just a conceptual idea some of the higher ups in Huntington have for the area between Marshall and the river. Marshall has a graduate school presence in SC, but I would think that a tech Park in Huntington would be more of a translational business park in conjunction with faculty from Marshall. It would probably include more biotechnology firms and innovation firms whereas the SC tech firm is geared towards training and the CAC.
You are obsessed with Huntington/Charleston and wish that you lived in Barbousville and everyone here knows it.
Silk, everyone here just wishes you would give it up and move to Barboursville. You mention it so much it must be an obsession for you. I think everyone would agree there is more going on there than in Winfield, and it is probably cheaper to live there.
This is just a conceptual idea some of the higher ups in Huntington have for the area between Marshall and the river. Marshall has a graduate school presence in SC, but I would think that a tech Park in Huntington would be more of a translational business park in conjunction with faculty from Marshall. It would probably include more biotechnology firms and innovation firms whereas the SC tech firm is geared towards training and the CAC.
A biotech research endeavor would require a large presence of PhD level biotech people. Those are definitely not present in Charleston these days, and are maybe present to a limited degree in Huntington. They shouldn't put the cart before the horse. They should see if they can get a significant research endeavor going before they even consider getting into the kind of boondoggle you find in South Charleston, which is costing WV taxpayers millions per year just to prop it up.
A biotech research endeavor would require a large presence of PhD level biotech people. Those are definitely not present in Charleston these days, and are maybe present to a limited degree in Huntington. They shouldn't put the cart before the horse. They should see if they can get a significant research endeavor going before they even consider getting into the kind of boondoggle you find in South Charleston, which is costing WV taxpayers millions per year just to prop it up.
This is already happening. The Biotech building at Marshall is mostly a research facility. There are no academic labs there, just solely research labs. All of which are full and active at all times. The new Engineering building will also have research laboratories, of which I know have already been snatched up by current and new faculty. There is a lot of research going on now and there will be more in the future. Also, any research or tech facility (there is a difference between the two for those you who might use the phrases synonemously) will most likely be associated with Marshall. I don't think a "technology park" would do as well as a "research park." Marshall isn't a tech school, or at least it isn't known for that, but it does have a research presence that is growing. A research park makes a lot more sense for Huntington. Another small tid-bit, a research park in Huntington would most likely actually be located "in Huntington." Probably very close to downtown, which is independent of of those who staff it (i.e. the topic above.) The point is that the economic impact of a research park in Huntington would be felt more by the city than Charleston's park.
Lastly, the idea of a research park in Huntington has been brought up by the mayor, who wishes for it to be a collaborative effort by Marshall and the city. That means that it won't be built and maintained by the state, which appears to be an issue. In otherwords, the tax dollars of those in NWV or any other park of WV won't be used for it. That isn't to say that the city won't ask for money from the state, but I do know that isn't their plan.
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