Prichard Hotel slated for full renovation, City secures nearly $50 million to create 108 senior housing units

City Council on Monday night approved a resolution authorizing the Prichard Hotel building to be remodeled into affordable senior citizen housing units. The Prichard Hotel renovation project will be receiving money from the Cabell Huntington Wayne consortium board's investment trust fund, municipal development director Cathy Burns said. The dilapidated structure at 611 Ninth Street East was built in 1926 near the C&O passenger train station and served as a hotel, with popular office and retail spaces, until its closure in 1970. The neo-classical thirteen story edifice will be renovated into 108 senior-affordable one-bedroom apartments from the third to thirteenth floor, while the two ground floors will be redone to provide senior citizen services, city officials said.
Costs for the Prichard Building renovation will "total nearly fifty million dollars" including over $800,000 from the Cabell Huntington Wayne home fund. With the passing of the resolution, funding sources will soon include low-income housing tax credits, federal historic Interior Department tax credits, West Virginia historic preservation tax credits, West Virginia housing development funds, HUD 202 financing and additional "WV Cares Act" state appropriations.
"All funding has been secured and this project has been in development for five-plus years," Burns told Council. The building is owned by the local non-profit Cornerstone Community Development group and the work is to be primarily executed by the construction developer Winterwood. Closing on most funding is expected to occur within the next six weeks, and the City anticipates construction to commence this winter. Katie Kieffer has been co-ordinating the ambitious effort for the City, Burns said. With representatives of Cornerstone non-profit and the Municipal Development board present, the resolution was forwarded out of the administrative & finance committee by Councilman Todd Bowen to City Council with a full recommendation. The resolution was then moved by Tia Rumbaugh, seconded by Bob Bailey and the Prichard Building's $50,000,000 renovation plan then passed City Council with unanimous vote.