OUR MISSION
We promote sustainable economic development by facilitating reuse of commercial and industrial sites and providing long-term management of legacy environmental concerns.
WHAT WE DO
Operate a Statewide Land Bank
The WVLSC Land Bank takes legal title to commercial or industrial real estate with known or perceived environmental issues in order to prepare it for redevelopment. We leverage grant funds and private investment to conduct necessary environmental assessments, demolish or repair old buildings, and remediate identified environmental issues. We will also help shepherd properties through the state’s Voluntary Remediation Program when appropriate. After addressing all environmental issues, we work with state and local government, local development authorities, and/or private entities to sell remediated properties for uses that stimulate the economy and fit with local development goals.
If you have a property that may be a good fit for our Land Bank, please contact us for a pre-application conference.
Provide Land Stewardship Services
Certain environmental remediation strategies require long-term oversight. As a long-term steward, the WVLSC provides the monitoring and maintenance needed to ensure that the remedies chosen for a particular site remain effective over time. Its stewardship of mitigation projects created to offset damage to streams and wetlands or wildlife habitat can include holding the conservation easement that is placed on property and/or serving as the long-term steward that monitors and maintains the easement or other restriction in perpetuity. The WVLSC can also monitor and maintain sites that have been remediated pursuant to a state or federal environmental program. These might include brownfields, underground storage tanks, closed landfills, open dumps, hazardous waste sites, and former mining sites. Engaging the WVLSC as either a short- or long-term steward allows responsible parties and property owners to satisfy their perpetual obligations without shifting focus away from their primary business.
Special Projects
The WVLSC received a $300,000 EPA Brownfields Assessment Grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in 2019 to conduct environmental assessments over a three-year period. We prioritize projects that have clear redevelopment plans. Click here to find out whether these funds can help your community.
OUR HISTORY
The West Virginia Legislature created the West Virginia Land Stewardship Corporation in 2013 to promote sustainable economic development while addressing long-term environmental concerns. The enabling legislation authorized three specific programs: a voluntary land stewardship program designed to help the WV Department of Environmental Protection monitor sites whose environmental issues were remediated using institutional and engineering controls; a site certification program to identify formerly used properties that are ready for redevelopment and construction; and a land bank that accepts title to formerly used properties and prepares them for reuse by conducting environmental assessments and remediation. (Read the full enabling legislation here.)
ANNUAL REPORTS
Fiscal year 2021 Annual Report
Fiscal year 2020 Annual Report
Fiscal year 2019 Annual Report