Monday, February 23, 2015

Mayor unveils major riverfront project


With the exception of Harris Riverfront Park, Huntington stops at the floodwall, but Huntington Mayor Steve Williams wants to change that with the development of the riverside of floodwall.

The mayor unveiled his plan during his State of the City address Feb. 17.  A partnership with the city and the owners of Superior Marine would bring commerce to the riverside by developing a 260-slip marina, dry dock facilities to house 260 boats, a boat repair shot and retail facility, a boardwalk with retail and restaurants, potential condominium development, a spray and splash park, the completion of the skate park and RV camping.

The mayor said the project would be completed in three phases over six to 10 years. The public-private partnership will utilize a combination of private capital with public and private grant sources.

The plan embraces the long-term redevelopment plan created by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers a few years ago, Williams said.

Superior Marine is the same people of Huntington Marine, which was engaged in a lawsuit with the city for 20 years regarding the construction of a barge-mooring facility adjacent to the Westmoreland neighborhood. The lawsuit was settled last year.

Williams said this demonstrates the city can create partnerships with former foes.

“Ambitious projects such as these require a culture of advancement and expectation of enormous accomplishments,” Williams said in his address. “Clearly, we must have all hands on deck to compete nationally and internationally.”

Huntington is the largest inland port in the United States. The mayor said more details about the partnership would be announced in the coming weeks.

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