Revisioning a Glass Factory as a Factory of Opportunity

A former Corning Glass Works manufacturing site in Paden City, West Virginia can support a
myriad of activities, from local workforce training to mixed-use market space

Project Summary



Community: Paden City, West Virginia

Brownfields Technical Assistance: Market

Analysis



Former Use: Corning Glass Works



Future Use: Multi-Tenant Mixed-Use Market

The Paden City Industrial Park borders both the Northern
Panhandle and Mid-Ohio Valley Regions in West Virginia.
Paden City Pottery first developed the site in 1914 and
began producing dinnerware. Corning Glass Works
purchased the property in 1956 and operated at the site
until 1991. Given past activity, the site is contaminated
with polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and heavy
metals. Eight years after the Corning plant closed, the
Paden City Development Authority (PCDA) purchased the
facility to spur redevelopment. Since then, roughly half of
the property has been leased for various uses including
office and storage space.

The Community's Challenge

Paden City needed help to understand whether the former
Corning Glass Works site could be reused for local
economic development and job opportunities. Employment
within the City has historically been dependent on the
natural resource extraction and traditional manufacturing
sectors, which are shrinking and particularly susceptible to
volatile commodity markets. The City needs to develop a
skilled workforce to attract higher-paying jobs that can
improve quality of life.

EPA's Brownfields Technical Assistance
In 2021, EPA's Brownfields and Land Revitalization
Program provided contractor technical assistance to
prepare a market analysis to identify potential reuse
options for the Paden City Industrial Park that would spur
economic development and create job opportunities. The

team analyzed socioeconomic trends and retail and real
estate markets; conducted stakeholder interviews; and
facilitated a virtual workshop with local and regional
economic development and planning representatives,
educators, and commercial real estate brokers to align the
recommendations for the site with the community's
priorities and local market conditions.

The market analysis indicated several suitable
redevelopment opportunities, including:

•	Expanding existing office and storage uses

•	Attracting retail uses

•	Creating a maker space or mixed-use market

•	Developing a workforce training program

•	Attracting light manufacturing or industrial uses

Through a multi-tenant, multi-use approach, existing uses
on the site could be coupled with new retail opportunities
as identified in the market analysis. Community interest in
transforming the site into a maker space could build on
Paden City's long history in glass manufacturing and draw
regional tourists. Coupling a maker space with additional
recreational opportunities onsite could provide additional
attractions for visitors.

The market analysis also identified a need for skill
development and re-training opportunities as the region
diversifies its economy and moves into higher skilled
industries. Regional colleges have shown an interest in
tailoring training programs to both attract new employers
and meet the existing regional demand for skills. The
PCDA may wish to consider reusing a portion of the site
for training, with the goal of attracting a new industrial
tenant that could take advantage of the new workforce.

A FY21 Brownfields cleanup grant was awarded to the
City to address environmental conditions at the site to
prepare it for redevelopment. For more information,
contact Joseph Nowak, EPA Region 3 Brownfields
Program, at nowak.ioseph@epa.gov.

Section D

United States
Environmental Protection
M % Agency

Office of Brownfields and Land Revitalization
560-F-22-029


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