OAK HILL, WV (LOOTPRESS) – The Oak Hill City Council voted 3-2 to accept ownership of a privately owned road at Fayette Landing during a meeting on April 21, following a proposal from developer Casey Bowling of New River Gorge Development Company.
The road, which is approximately 700 feet long and connects the shopping plaza to U.S. Route 19, was recently repaved by Bowling, who offered to donate it to the city. He told council members the proposal was not for personal gain but to relieve his company of liability and provide long-term benefit to the city.
“This has no bearing on whether the city accepts this or not… I’ve already put my money into it,” Bowling said. “It’s a liability only to our company now… what we’re going to do is just abandon it like a lot of developers do.”
Bowling warned that if the city declined the offer, the road could eventually be sold through tax sales to unknown owners, limiting the city’s future control.
This road has caused major issues for shoppers and employees that work in this area for years due to failed maintenance work by previous owners.
“You’re never going to have an opportunity like you have now,” he said. “All you got to do is take it over and you have control over it forever.”
He also emphasized the road’s importance, calling it “the only road in the city of Oak Hill that touches 19” and highlighting its role in the city’s appearance along a major commercial corridor.
Councilman Chris Gill raised concerns about long-term costs and responsibilities, particularly maintenance and infrastructure expenses. He questioned whether the city would see a return on investment.
“The revenue is still coming. Even if you abandon and walk away and we don’t accept it, the revenue is still coming. That’s not really a return on our investment,” Gill said.
Gill also cited potential ongoing obligations, including snow removal, road repairs, and infrastructure issues such as a deteriorating culvert beneath the roadway. He further warned of possible precedent.
“What if [other businesses] come and they say, ‘Well, you took this one over. Now we want you to take this over,’” he said.
Bowling countered that the road was built to handle heavy traffic and that drainage improvements had already been made to prevent future damage. He argued the long-term benefits outweighed the costs.
“The benefits far more outweigh letting that road potentially get in bad shape where you can’t do anything about it,” he said.
After discussion, council members voted on the measure, which passed by a 3-2 margin.
The decision means the city will assume responsibility for maintaining the roadway moving forward, ending years of uncertainty over its ownership while also committing the city to its long-term upkeep.
