PROJECT BACKGROUND:

Center Wheeling was marred by blighted properties in the 1990s, and the city government has long attempted to

improve the city’s neighborhood. The city therefore targeted two brownfield properties for redevelopment—the

CSX and Pavilack properties. The CSX property, which formerly included residential and commercial uses, was

assessed with private funds in the late 1990s. The West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection determined

that this property did not require cleanup. The Pavilack property was formerly used as an axle manufacturer, a foundry,

and an automotive scrap yard. Nearly $70,000 in EPA Brownfields Assessment Pilot funds were used to fund Phase I

and II assessment activities at the Pavilack property from 2000 through 2003. These assessments determined that

cleanup was required on the property.

KEY ACCOMPLISHMENTS:

• Cleanup included asbestos removal; demolition of more than a dozen

structures; and the removal of two underground storage tanks.

• Elevated property approximately 14 feet above the flood plain, which

serves as a cap over the soil.

• The first of three phases completed in the revitalization of a central

city area.

• Leveraged approximately $18.5 million for redevelopment activities

and 175 jobs due to positions available at the new Lowe’s home

improvement store.

OUTCOME:

The Pavilack property is now restricted to non-residential uses, and a soil and/or asphalt cap must be maintained longterm across the property. The groundwater at the property also cannot be used as a drinking water supply. The

grand opening event for the new Lowe’s home improvement store on the Pavilack and CSX properties, which was

presided over by Mayor Nick Sparachane, was held on December 14, 2005 in time for holiday shopping. The store

has 116,000-square feet of retail sales space and an adjacent garden center to help customers build, improve, and

beautify their homes. The new Lowe’s is the first of three phases of planned retail development at the Gateway

Centre. The developer, GGP Wheeling 2003 LLC, is assembling and acquiring land for the subsequent phases of the

project. In the future, the Gateway Centre will likely include additional national retail chains as well as a grocery

store. When complete, the entire project is anticipated to leverage 1,000 jobs and cost $70.75 million.

Center Wheeling: Now Open for Business

brownfields at-a-glance

CSX AND PAVILACK PROPERTIES

Wheeling, WV

Assessment Grant

EPA-560-F-06-249

October 2006

FOR MORE INFORMATION: Visit the EPA Brownfields Web site at http://www.epa.gov/brownfields/ or call EPA Region 3 at (215) 814-5000

ADDRESS: 2801 Chapline Street, Wheeling, WV 26003

PROPERTY SIZE: 10 acres

FORMER USES: Steel foundry, axle manufacturing, junkyard, commercial,

and residential

CURRENT USE: Home improvement store

EPA GRANT RECIPIENT: PROJECT PARTNERS:

The City of Wheeling received a $200,000

Brownfields Assessment Pilot grant.

West Virginia Department of

Environmental Protection and

GGP Wheeling 2003 LLC

The completed Lowe’s at Gateway Centre.

For additional data and geographic

information for this and other

Brownfields Grants, please visit

EPA’s:

Envirofacts - www.epa.gov/enviro/

html/bms/bms_query.html

Enviromapper - www.epa.gov/

enviro/bf