By Eric Ayres, The Intelligencer
WHEELING, W.Va. — Wheeling’s Facade Improvement Grant program continues to provide financial incentives for eligible property owners to upgrade their curb appeal and make other structural and cosmetic enhancements.
Now awarded on a quarterly basis through action by Wheeling City Council, the facade grants provide up to $15,000 in matching funds toward eligible projects.
The city recently awarded a total of $51,000 in the latest round of Facade Improvement Program grants to help fund upgrades to seven different buildings in town – mostly historic structures or buildings located within historic districts of Wheeling.
Recent projects included improvements to the East Wheeling buildings that house both Neely’s Grocery and Studio 27 Hair Salon, the Wheeling Artisan Center downtown, two adjacent buildings within the North Wheeling Historic District and the former Fraternal Order of Eagles and Wheeling Jamboree building on Main Street — where the new owner plans to house Holidaze by 2027 featuring a restaurant, bar and event spaces.
Depending on each private project’s overall cost, the program typically provides 50 percent in matching funds from the city — up to the maximum amount — for upgrades to an eligible building’s facade, in addition to some other qualifying improvements — including a new roof.