Downtown Bluefield is starting a massive demolition project right near the heart of downtown.
This demolition started on Monday February 26th and is taking out the 400 block on federal street.
“We celebrated sort of the beginning of the demolition, and so its a big day, and it’s change. The biggest thing we started years ago is creating a new economy for Bluefield,” Jim Spencer, Executive director at the Bluefield Economic Development Authority.
The buildings that were coming down were in disrepair and the money required to restore them was too high for the city to invest in. The new space is still open for comments about what they should do with it. Comments can be sent to Jspencer@bluewv.org
And with this project being scheduled for 270 days, it took a conglomerate of agencies to make it happen.
“This phase is being funded by the West Virginia DEP, the REAP program, also the city of Bluefield has contributed funding, and then also the Shott Foundation,” Spencer said.
Current proposals are things such as a green space, new buildings, and even parking garages.
