Wheeling Heritage Launches a Downtown Housing Survey
WHEELING, W.Va. – October 14, 2021 – Wheeling Heritage has launched a survey to learn about the types of housing people would like to see in downtown Wheeling.
Starting today, Wheeling residents and workers are encouraged to go to wheelingheritage.org and complete the anonymous housing survey that should take no more than five minutes to complete. The deadline for participating in the survey is Tuesday, Oct. 26.
“The results of this survey will help to identify both the types of housing, and the living environment that consumers would like to see in Wheeling,” said Betsy Sweeny, Director of Heritage Programming at Wheeling Heritage.
Through Main Street West Virginia, Wheeling Heritage has been working with Downtown Professionals Network (DPN), as well as various partners, to design the survey. DPN, a firm specializing in research for downtown economic development, will analyze the results and provide residential developer recruitment strategies.
The results will also be a useful resource for building owners considering developing the upper floors of their buildings to expand into the growing downtown market.
“One of the most common questions I get asked by property owners developing their downtown buildings is, ‘Well, is it worth it to redo the upper floors? Will anyone actually live in the apartments I build?’ Anecdotally, I can say yes. We know there’s a huge demand for diverse downtown housing options, but the results of this survey will provide us with the hard data developers need to make that decision,” Sweeny said.
The results will be shared with partners including the Regional Economic Development Partnership (RED), the City of Wheeling, and Wheeling Area Chamber of Commerce, and will also be available to the public on Wheeling Heritage’s website.
About Wheeling Heritage: Wheeling Heritage is a catalyst for the revitalization of Wheeling. Through historic preservation, community development, and the arts, we help to tell Wheeling’s story and shape its future. We seek to improve the quality of life in Wheeling by preserving and investing in our city, collaborating with others, and engaging the citizens of Wheeling in our work.
