By Stephen Smoot
Three economic planning and development councils in three states have joined forces to apply for assistance in restoring, redeveloping, and revitalizing downtown areas.
Region 8, the Tri-County Council for Western Maryland, and the Southern Alleghenies Planning and Development Commission have taken on the task of working together to find solutions to assist cities and towns with struggling downtown areas.
These bodies represent Grant, Mineral, Pendleton, Hardy, and Hampshire counties in West Virginia, Washington, Allegheny, and Garrett in Maryland, and six counties in Pennsylvania.
According to the project summary submitted to the Appalachian Regional Commission, “these three LDDs in the mid-Atlantic have many similarities in their economies and communities; therefore, they face a lot of the same challenges.”
It goes on to add that the challenges include “lack of investment in, and redevelopment of mixed use buildings in the central business districts of the towns and cities.”
The application is for a $100,000 planning grant from the Appalachian Regional Commission with the three regional councils responsible for a total of $90,000 to match. The purpose of the grant lies in helping the councils identify and use “financial mechanisms to make private sector redevelopment projects feasible.”
Redevelopment is hoped to expand “housing, small business growth, vibrancy and sense of place, and historic preservation.”
One of the key assets of each agency lies in their ability to issue from revolving loan funds designed to spur local development.
The Appalachian Regional Initiative for Stronger Economies, or ARISE, program has the mission to encourage cooperation across state lines in Appalachian states for economic development. In August 2022 at the program’s outset, Gayle Manchin, ARC co-chair, said, “ARISE encourages our states to think as one united Appalachian Region to have a transformational economic impact across ARC’s 13 states.”
She went on to add, “In order to have true, large-scale change in Appalachia, we need to be working together at every level—within communities, throughout states, and across state lines. ARISE complements and expands on local and state efforts by fostering collaboration across state lines to produce a more robust and sustainable regional economy.”
The program endeavors to promote five areas of “building” — businesses, workforce, infrastructure, regional culture and tourism, and leaders and community capacity.
It also dovetails with the mission of other organizations currently operating. Two ARC supported partnerships, for example, the Canal Towns Partnership and the Mon Forest Towns Partnership, use the presence of national park and forest lands as a way to focus efforts.
While the Canal Towns Partnership only includes Region 9 counties in West Virginia, the Mon Forest Towns initiative supports efforts in two counties of Region 8, Pendleton and Grant. Partly through the Mon Forest Towns Partnership and the work of Michelle Connor, Franklin’s representative, the Pendleton County seat has already experienced success in redevelopment of downtown buildings that ushered in expanded business, housing, and cultural opportunities.
According to the Appalachian Regional Commission, the partnership has “been working to leverage this unique shared natural asset through regional thinking.” It includes “a community-driven model for sustainable recreation-based economic growth across 12 towns in the Monongahela National Forest region.”
