Plans announced for more than 400 new homes to be built in Hurricane

On Thursday, Stonewall Capital and PCDA shared that a homebuilder, Maryland-based Ward Communities, has been selected for the first development in Hurricane.

The Hurricane project will be built at the former Woodworth Farm location on Hurricane’s Main Street. The new development will be named Woodworth Farms.

Hurricane Mayor Scott Edwards says the new development is needed, but that people have mixed feelings about the property changing, as the community can be sentimental.

The property was once a dairy farm owned by the Woodworth family. Edwards says a lot of people remember buying milk there when they were young.

“It means a lot to people,� Edwards said.

Albert Woodworth bought the farm in 1932, said his son Clarence, who is now 78 and lives in Culloden.

“Nothing lasts forever," Woodworth said Thursday. "And I think that progress and change comes about. Some change we like and some we don't ... But I think the opportunities that this will provide will be good for this area, for Putnam County and for Hurricane.�

Addressing a housing shortage

Stonewall Capital and PCDA are aiming to ease the housing shortage in Putnam County and the Tri-State area, which has been rapidly growing and struggling to keep up with demand.

According to a housing study commissioned in 2023 by Advantage Valley Inc., a nonprofit economic development organization, Putnam County needs an additional 1,300 rental units and 2,700 for-sale units to meet the needs of its expanding population by 2028. That’s 4,000 in total, which means the planned addition of homes is likely to still fall short of demand.

“Whenever we stopped and looked at what all of our local builders were building like a year ago, we were at about 10% of what that Putnam County demand was,� said Morganne Tenney, executive director of the PCDA. “But even with adding 600 units at some point from Stonewall Capital, I mean, we're still at under 20% of our anticipated demand by 2028. So although this is a large-scale project and (we're) moving the needle, there's still a lot more that we're going to need based on the Advantage Valley housing study.�

The Cabell County Commission invested $10,000 in the study.

“The study confirmed what many residents already know — our supply of both homes and rental units is critically low. With such limited options, it is becoming increasingly difficult for current residents to find housing, and without action, this shortage will also discourage new families from moving into Cabell County, even as development continues across the region,� said Cabell County Commissioner Kelli Sobonya, who is also a Realtor. “Families will only choose to settle here if they can find safe, reliable and affordable housing.�

Advantage Valley's study was done in anticipation of new economic development and investment, particularly after Nucor Corp. announced its plans to build a sheet steel mill in Mason County.

"But then we also had — Berkshire Hathaway had an announcement and then Toyota has expanded and Service Wire is expanding, so it became an economic development issue because so many companies are growing and need more workers, and this (lack of housing) is now a worker retention and attraction issue,� Tenney said.

By 2028, Cabell County is expected to see a net gain of 1,112 households.

“Our legislators have made West Virginia more business friendly with a lot of our laws, but I think a lot of people are seeing how COVID kind of changed the landscape of remote work,� said Andy Skidmore, Putnam County commissioner.

About the homes

The project in Hurricane will see single-family homes go under construction beginning this fall. The price range for these homes will likely be in the $300,000 to $400,000 range. Some of them will be custom-built homes where a customer can purchase the house, then choose finishes and other design elements during construction.

Skidmore said he has heard a lot of excitement from the community about the planned new housing.

In addition to meeting the needs of new residents, Edwards says the properties will give Putnam County families the opportunity to move into larger homes, while making way for seniors to downsize into smaller homes.

Edwards said the Culloden interchange on Interstate 64 is also expected to be completed around the same time as the new homes, so he predicts a decrease in traffic but says Hurricane's infrastructure is fully equipped to welcome more people and development.

As for traffic in the city, he says roads are capable of more traffic but recognizes backups can occur, pointing out that it’s traffic through Hurricane still is nowhere near as bad as traffic in larger cities.

Ward Communities has a page on its website for Woodworth Farms with 11 different floor plans.