MORGANTOWN – Six years ago, the Monongalia County Development Authority financed $11.8 million to purchase 10 acres of property for redevelopment on the doorstep of downtown Morgantown along Richwood Avenue.
Two years ago, the MCDA joined Dave Biafora, the project’s master developer, and partners Monongalia County, Morgantown and WVU to commemorate the start of demolition as 58 old houses were razed to make room for East End Village.
Today, the project appears to be very much up in the air, and on a deadline.
Speaking Wednesday of the East End Village, Monongalia County Commissioner Sean Sikora said that by sometime this fall, “This project is going to move forward, or it’s going to radically change.”
Sometime this fall is the end of September.
James Giuliani, the person who sold MCDA the aforementioned property, said he’s owed $2.4 million by Oct. 1 per the latest extension agreement between the parties.
“We’re going to hold everybody to that,” Giuliani told the county commission.
But the development authority is already fully invested in the project, and out of money.
In August 2024, the city and county each put up $500,000 to be held as a mandatory cash reserve as a requirement of a refinancing package being sought by the MCDA.
Morgantown Area Partnership President and CEO Russ Rogerson explained at the time that those reserve dollars would not be needed unless “we’re not making any sales beyond a year from the date of refinance.”
As collateral, the development authority put up the 90-acre site near the Morgantown Municipal Airport identified as the future home of the I-68 Commerce Park. Worst case scenario, Rogerson said, the city and county would become joint owners of that land.
Sikora, who serves as the commission’s representative on the development authority, confirmed Wednesday that the $1 million reserve is currently being used to make the required payments on the land purchase.
Rogerson confirmed, “It is providing great assistance to us on our loan with the bank.”
“We have some finance deadlines coming up with our current loan agreements, and that’ll be at the end of September. So, we’ve been working on the next phase of action to get this project up and running,” Rogerson told The Dominion Post. “At this point that’s kind of what we’re in the middle of working on with our development partners. We’re working with our financial loan groups and trying to put together the next phase and approach for the East End development and how it launches.”
The bottom line, Sikora said, is the development authority will either get the financing lined up to move forward with the project as planned, or it’s going to be forced to start selling off property.
“I mean, we’ve, from the municipal and the county side of things, we’ve done everything we could to help move this project forward. From a financial side, it’s just been a very big challenge,” Sikora said. “There’s only so much we can do. The development authority, as an entity, has everything tied up in this. Eventually, it’s got to come to a resolution.”
As for the development partners Rogerson mentioned, the MCDA is currently working to finalize an extension with Biafora as the project’s developer. Asked if he foresees that happening, Rogerson said, “There’s a lot of moving parts. I can only tell you what we’re working on … but there is a good faith effort on all fronts.”
“As with all things, when deadlines come up, we’re continuing to modify everything in order to, you know, keep the project together. But, you know, as the commissioner [Sikora] said, if there’s success on that front, we continue to move forward. If not, then we have to look at alternative things here because of finances. As long as we’re able to stay financed and able to fund that financing, then I’m confident we can move forward,” Rogerson said.
Added to the uncertainty is the fact that Giuliani said Wednesday that he intends to take legal action over what he views as a fraudulent transfer and sale of one of the parcels within the development, potentially tying the entire development up in court.
Further, riding along in the background is a lawsuit filed by Biafora against Morgantown Deputy Mayor Brian Butcher in November 2024 claiming Butcher made defamatory and slanderous statements about him in a text conversation with Giuliani.
It’s been said that the East End Village development is expected to draw well over $100 million in investment, creating a finished product that includes more than 300 market-rate apartments and other housing options situated atop retail suites and alongside standalone retail components in a pedestrian-friendly space located directly next to the city’s core business district.
Is that what’s going to happen?
“My job is to do whatever we can to keep this project moving. And ultimately, our commitment to seeing the development take place in as much a similar fashion as to what’s been laid out has been our goal all along,” Rogerson said.
The Dominion Post reached out to the city of Morgantown, but did not receive a response in time for this report.
