From Coal Mine to Ballroom

Identifying Demand-Based Conference and Event Space in Weirton, West Virginia

Project Summary

Community: BDC (Weirton, West Virginia)

Technical Assistance: Market Analysis,
Development Program

Former Use: Surface Coal Mine

Future Use: Conference and Event Space

Weirton, West Virginia is located in the Northern
Panhandle between Ohio and Pennsylvania. Well
connected to many mid-Atlantic metropolitan areas, the
site offers an opportunity to boost culture and tourism in
the area while filling a community need for larger
conference and event space. Owned by the Business
Development Corporation of the Northern Panhandle
(BDC), the Park Drive Development Site is part of an
upcoming mixed-used development on a former surface
coal mine.

The Community's Challenge

While previous market analyses in 2016 and 2018 both
supported redevelopment of the Park Drive
Development Site, the COVID-19 pandemic and a lack
of financial analysis prevented the project from moving
forward. Previous environmental site assessments
determined that no major contaminants were found on
the previously developed parcels within the 45-acre
former coal surface mine site. Wth significant changes
in global markets and population shifts, amongst others,
in recent years, a renewed study was needed to identify
appropriate redevelopment options. The site is located
at an important crossroad of West Virginia, in the
Northern Panhandle between Ohio and Pennsylvania
and offers easy access to many mid Atlantic
metropolitan areas. A potential conference and event
center is intended to catalyze other larger, mixed-use
community development on the site.

EPA's Land Revitalization Technical Assistance

In 2022, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA) Land Revitalization Program provided contractor
technical assistance to support the site reuse and
revitalization planning for the Park Drive Development
Site. The market analysis provides demand-based
programmatic options for a building program targeting
the potential market segment of likely end-users for
conference and event space. The program option
recommendations consider the current available
inventory in the local market, the stated preference of
key stakeholders and conference and event organizers,
as well as the current conference and event industry
trends.

The program options include a variety of size event
spaces. Key offerings include a 5,100 square foot (SF)
ballroom, 1,000 SF large meeting rooms, 500 SF small
meeting rooms, and smaller 240 SF boardrooms.
Alternative offerings include an indoor 7,500 SF
convertible turf field for events and community sports,
and a theater for performances. The program option
sizes start from a base program of 9,000 SF rentable
space to a 16,000 SF mid-size program, and up to a
larger option of 24,000 SF.

Potential Program Options for an Event Space

Rental Size

# of Event
Spaces

Max
Capacity

Total
Footprint

9,000 SF

8

1065

13,000 SF

16,000 SF

9-15

2000

23,000 SF

24,000 SF

12-18

3000

34,300 SF

For more information, contact Joe Nowak, EPA Region
3 Brownfields Program, at nowak.ioseph@epa.qov.

*>EPA

United States
Environmental Protection
Agency

Office of Brownfields and Land Revitalization
560-F-23-319

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